ES2834982T3 - Ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus with one or more reflectors and systems that determine operating parameters and disinfection programs for germicidal devices - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus (20; 100) for disinfecting a room, comprising: a discharge lamp (22; 104) configured to emit ultraviolet light; a power circuit (26) configured to operate the discharge lamp; a support structure (24; 102) containing the power circuit and supporting the discharge lamp, wherein the discharge lamp is positioned to propagate light above an upper surface of the support structure; and a reflector system (60) configured to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates away from the support structure to a region outside the apparatus at a distance between 61 cm (2 feet) and 122 cm (4 feet) from a floor of a room in which the apparatus is located, wherein the reflector system comprises a conical reflector (62; 118) above the discharge lamp.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus with one or more reflectors and systems that determine operating parameters and disinfection programs for germicidal devices

Background of the invention

1. Field of the invention

This invention relates generally to ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus and, more specifically, to ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus having one or more reflectors.

2. Description of Related Art

The following descriptions and examples are not supported as prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.

In general, germicidal systems are designed to subject one or more surfaces and / or objects to a germicide to inactivate or kill microorganisms residing on the surface (s) and / or object (s). Applications of germicidal systems include, but are not limited to, sterilization, disinfection of objects, and room / area decontamination. Examples of sterilization systems are those used to sterilize surgical tools, food, or pharmaceutical packaging. Examples of room / area decontamination systems are those used in hospital rooms to disinfect surfaces and objects on them and those used in agricultural operations, such as those used for breeding and / or the exploitation of animals. Area / room disinfection is becoming increasingly important as pathogenic microorganisms have been shown to be present in environments and cause infections. This is especially important since antimicrobial resistant organisms are found in environments more frequently and are becoming increasingly difficult to treat.

One challenge with conventional room / area decontamination systems is getting a germicidal agent to efficiently distribute to all surfaces that need to be disinfected. In particular, many conventional room / area decontamination systems are limited in the number of disinfection sources they include due to cost and size restrictions. Furthermore, the directionality of a germicidal agent in conventional room / area decontamination systems is often fixed. As a result, conventional systems are often configured to deliver a high dose of a germicidal agent such that a large number of surfaces within a room or area can be disinfected at the same time. A problem with a global high dose distribution of a germicidal agent is that some parts of a room or area can be overexposed, which for practical purposes is a waste of the germicidal agent and potentially a waste of time and / or energy to perform. a disinfection process. In addition, in some cases, parts of a room / area may not receive sufficient amounts of a germicidal agent when the germicidal agent is globally distributed throughout a room, particularly surfaces that are relatively far from a source of disinfection and / or that are not in direct line with a source of disinfection. Under-exposure to a germicidal agent can leave a surface or object with an undesirably high number of pathogenic microorganisms, leaving people in subsequent contact with the surfaces highly susceptible to infection.

An additional problem with conventional room / area decontamination systems is a lack of consideration and precedence of objects and surfaces in a room when performing a disinfection process. As a consequence, if a disinfection process for a room / area is interrupted before its allotted time, there is a possibility that objects and / or surfaces within the room that are likely to be heavily contaminated have not been disinfected. adequately. In particular, a room / area decontamination system disinfection source is often located or installed near a central point in a room (rather than near one or more particular objects) in such a way that exposure to the germicide from the source to the peripheries of the room / area is substantially uniform throughout the room / area. Similarly, in cases where a system includes multiple disinfection devices, the devices are often evenly distributed throughout the room rather than near one or more particular objects in an effort to disinfect the entire room in one process. determined disinfection.

A source of disinfection of a room / area decontamination system can be placed near an object or surface, such as a bed in a hospital room, but placing a source of disinfection near a particular object does not solve the needs disinfection of other objects or surfaces located within a room / area that are considered to be likely to be highly contaminated, such as a door handle or a light switch in a room. Furthermore, when a source of disinfection is fixedly installed at a particular position within a room, the effect of its location for a particular object becomes irrelevant if the object moves. In cases where a decontamination system includes one or more sources of disinfection that are freely positionable within a room, the task of placing the one or more sources of disinfection is generally manual and therefore hand-intensive. construction site and prone to placement errors. Furthermore, none of these last configurations involves analyzing the characteristics of the room (eg, size, area configuration, and / or relative location of objects in the room) for placement of disinfection sources in the room.

There are several different methods for disinfecting surfaces and objects, ranging from chemical methods, such as bleach treatment, to advanced methods, such as ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. In particular, UV irradiation in the spectrum between about 200 nm and about 320 nm is known to be effective in inactivating and, in some cases, killing, microorganisms, giving reason for the use of ultraviolet light technology to disinfect and / or sterilize items. Some UV disinfection devices use a discharge lamp to generate ultraviolet light. In addition to being used for disinfection and sterilization applications, discharge lamps are used in a variety of applications to generate ultraviolet (UV) light, such as polymer curing. In general, discharge lamps refer to lamps that generate light by means of an internal electrical discharge between electrodes in a gas. The electrical discharge creates a plasma that supplies radiant light. In some cases, such as mercury vapor lamps, the light generated is continuous once the lamp is activated. Other discharge lamp configurations, often called flash tubes or flash lamps, generate light for very short periods of time. These discharge lamps are sometimes used to supply recurring pulses of light and are therefore sometimes called pulsed light sources. A commonly used flashlamp is a xenon flash tube.

Although different types of discharge lamps have been investigated to provide UV light for different applications, little has been done to improve the efficiency of the ultraviolet light generated in appliances having discharge lamps, particularly with regard to the propagation of ultraviolet light. (that is, distance and angle of incidence on a target object). One reason for this lack of advancement is that many appliances that have discharge lamps, such as food sterilization and individual object disinfection devices, are configured to treat items placed in close proximity to the lamp and in direct alignment with the lamp. itself and therefore little or no improvement in the efficiency of ultraviolet light can be achieved by modifying its propagation. In addition, room / area decontamination systems are specifically designed to scatter light over a large area and therefore modifying the spread of UV light from a system can make it difficult to achieve that goal. Furthermore, many appliances with discharge lamps have limited application and versatility. For example, many individual item disinfection and food sterilization devices are self-contained appliances and are configured to treat specific items and therefore generally do not include features that enhance the versatility of systems for treating other items. or for use in other applications. Furthermore, some appliances require cumbersome and / or time-consuming arrangements to protect a user from harm. For example, pulsed ultraviolet light technology generally uses xenon flash lamps that pulse a broad spectrum of light from deep ultraviolet to infrared, including very bright and intense visible light. Exposure to visible light and ultraviolet light can be harmful and, therefore, provisions such as containing the pulsed light within the limits of the apparatus or screening the windows of a room in which a decontamination unit is used may be necessary. of rooms.

Document CN 2 678 651 Y describes an apparatus for disinfecting a room, movable on casters and comprising a tubular discharge lamp configured to emit ultraviolet light, a support structure supporting the discharge lamp and containing a power circuit configured to operate the discharge lamp, and a reflector fixed to a housing surrounding the discharge lamp and which can be fixed in different angular positions together with the lamp during operation, and configured to redirect the emitted ultraviolet light from the discharge lamp away from the support structure to a region outside the apparatus.

In a similar way, document CN 87203475 U describes an apparatus for disinfecting a room, with UV discharge tubes inside reflectors mounted by means of adjustable arms 7,8 on a mobile support on wheels. Lamps and reflectors are located horizontally or vertically.

Furthermore, JP S60 63107 A describes a mobile apparatus for disinfecting a room, comprising horizontally positioned discharge lamps configured to emit germicidal UV light supported by, and nested within, a support structure containing a power circuit, and a repositionable reflector system comprising several reflector systems that can be fixed in different positions within the apparatus, and configured to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates away from the support structure into the entire room.

KR 2011 0003951 U uses an elongated reflective structure, shaped like a trigonal prism, above a UV lamp to distribute disinfectant UV light to the surroundings.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to develop ultraviolet discharge lamp fixtures that have features that enhance their usability, including, but not limited to, features that improve the efficiency of the UV light generated, increase the versatility of the fixtures, and reduce and / or Eliminate cumbersome and time-consuming setups required by conventional systems.

Compendium of the invention

An apparatus according to the invention for disinfecting a room is defined in claim 1. The preferred embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.

In the following description, the term "embodiment" means an embodiment of the invention only when so designated. Brief description of the drawings

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of an ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus having a horizontally positioned discharge lamp.

Figure 2a depicts an alternative configuration for housing an optical filter in the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 1;

Figure 2b depicts another alternative configuration for housing an optical filter in the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 1;

Figure 2c depicts yet another alternative configuration for housing an optical filter in the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 1;

Figure 3 depicts an alternative configuration of the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 1 having a discharge lamp located outside of a support structure of the apparatus; Figure 4 is an isometric drawing of an ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus having a vertically positioned discharge lamp;

Figure 5 depicts an alternative configuration of a discharge lamp assembly for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 4;

Figure 6 depicts an alternative configuration of an optical filter for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 4;

Figure 7 depicts another alternative configuration of an optical filter for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus depicted in Figure 4;

Figure 8 depicts a system including multiple ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus;

Figure 9 depicts a system that includes one or more sources of disinfection and a processing subsystem having program instructions executable by a processor to determine operating parameters and disinfection schedules for one or more sources of disinfection;

Figure 10 depicts a flow chart outlining a method that program instructions executable by a processor of the system depicted in Figure 9 can be configured to perform; Y

Figure 11 depicts a flow chart outlining another method that program instructions executable by a processor of the system depicted in Figure 9 may be configured to perform. Although the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form described, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, and alternatives that fall within the scope. of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

Turning to the drawings, exemplary embodiments of discharge lamp apparatus are provided. More specifically, exemplary apparatus configurations are shown in Figures 1-3 having a discharge lamp positioned longitudinally parallel to a plane of the apparatus in which the lamp is supported (hereinafter referred to as a "horizontally positioned lamp"). Furthermore, exemplary apparatus configurations having a discharge lamp positioned longitudinally perpendicular to a plane of the apparatus in which the lamp is supported (hereinafter referred to as "vertically positioned lamp") are shown in Figures 4-7. Also, a system having two discharge lamp fixtures is shown in Figure 8. As will be described in greater detail below, the apparatus and features described in this document are not limited to the representations in the drawings, including that discharge lamps are not restricted to "horizontal" and "vertical" positions. Also, it should be noted that drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale in that particular features may be drawn on a larger scale than other features to highlight their features.

Each of the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 includes a discharge lamp configured for generating ultraviolet light, and therefore the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are sometimes referred to as "ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus". In some embodiments, the discharge lamp of an appliance may be further configured to generate other ranges of light, but such configurations will not discourage referring to the appliances described herein as "ultraviolet discharge lamp appliances." In any case, the apparatuses described with reference to Figures 1-8 lack optics for producing a laser from the light emitted by a discharge lamp and may therefore be referred to herein as non-laser apparatuses in some embodiments. . In other words, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are configured to propagate the light emitted by the discharge lamp in a non-laser manner. As described in greater detail below, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are configured to expose areas and rooms, as well as objects as a whole, to ultraviolet light and are therefore specifically configured to distribute the light. light broadly rather than producing a narrow beam of limited diffraction like that generated by lasers.

The term "discharge lamp", as used herein, refers to a lamp that generates light by means of an internal electrical discharge between electrodes in a gas. The term encompasses gas discharge lamps, which generate light by sending an electrical discharge through an ionized gas (ie, a plasma). The term also encompasses surface discharge lamps, which generate light by sending an electrical discharge along a surface of a dielectric substrate in the presence of a gas, producing a plasma along the surface of the substrate. Thus, discharge lamps that can be considered for the apparatus described in this document include gas discharge lamps as well as surface discharge lamps. Discharge lamps can also be characterized by the type of gas or gases used and the pressure at which they operate. Discharge lamps that may be considered for the apparatus described in this document may include low pressure, medium pressure, and high intensity lamps. Furthermore, the one or more gases employed can include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, mercury vapor, sodium vapor, and any combination thereof. Furthermore, the discharge lamps considered for the appliances described in this specification can be of any size and shape, depending on the design specifications of the appliances. Furthermore, the discharge lamps considered for the apparatus described herein may include those that generate continuous light and those that generate light of short durations, the latter of which are referred to herein as flash tubes or flash lamps. Flash tubes or flash lamps that are used to supply recurring pulses of light are referred to herein as pulsed light sources.

A gas discharge lamp commonly used to produce continuous light is a mercury vapor lamp, which can be considered for some of the apparatus described in this document. It emits a strong light peak at 253.7 nm, which is considered particularly applicable for germicidal disinfection and is therefore commonly referred to for ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). A commonly used flashlamp that can be considered for the apparatus described in this document is a xenon flash tube. Unlike a mercury vapor lamp, a xenon flash tube generates a broad spectrum of light from ultraviolet to infrared and thus provides ultraviolet light across the spectrum that is known to be germicidal (i.e. , between about 200 nm and about 320 nm). In addition, a xenon flash tube can provide a relatively sufficient intensity in the spectrum that is known to be optimally germicidal (ie, between about 260 nm and about 265 nm). What's more, a xenon flash tube generates an extreme amount of heat, which can further contribute to the deactivation and death of microorganisms.

Although they are not readily available on the commercial market today, a surface discharge lamp can be considered for some of the apparatus described in this document as indicated above. Similar to a xenon flash tube, a surface discharge lamp produces ultraviolet light across the spectrum that is known to be germicidal (ie, between about 200nm and about 320nm). However, instead, surface discharge lamps operate at higher energy levels per pulse and therefore with higher UV efficiency, as well as offering a longer lamp life compared to flash tubes. xenon. It should be noted that the aforementioned descriptions and comparisons of a mercury vapor lamp, a xenon flash lamp, and a surface discharge lamp in no way restrict the apparatus described herein to include such lamps. Rather, the descriptions and comparisons mentioned above are provided simply to offer factors that one skilled in the art can contemplate when selecting a discharge lamp for an ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus, particularly depending on the purpose and application of the apparatus.

As indicated above, the apparatuses described with reference to Figures 1-8 are configured to distribute ultraviolet light in a wide manner, such that objects as a whole and / or areas / rooms can be treated. In other words, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are not configured to produce a narrow beam of light for a specific small target such as can be used for laser applications. Given their configuration to distribute ultraviolet light widely, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 may be particularly applicable to disinfect, decontaminate and / or sterilize objects as a whole, as well as areas and / or rooms. For example, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 can be used to disinfect hospital rooms or can be used in agricultural operations, including those used for animal husbandry and / or exploitation. In addition, or alternatively, Apparatuses described with reference to Figures 1-8 can be used to reduce the growth of microorganisms in plants or to sterilize objects, such as surgical tools, food or pharmaceutical containers. Other applications for the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 that involve extensive exposure to ultraviolet light can be polymer curing and medical procedures.

The devices described in this document are particularly aimed at disinfection of rooms. More specifically and as described in greater detail below, some of the features presented for the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 (particularly the inclusion of an optical filter, the inclusion of a reflector system to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates from an apparatus support structure, adaptation to move throughout a room during operation and / or systems that include multiple discharge lamp apparatus) may be especially suitable for room disinfection apparatus. For this reason, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are directed to room disinfection apparatus. Furthermore, for the reasons described below, many of the apparatuses described with reference to Figures 1-8 are specifically directed at floor-standing portable room disinfection apparatuses. The features described with respect to the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8, however, are not necessarily limited to stand-alone, portable, or floor configurations.

As used herein, the term "room disinfection" refers to the cleaning of a delimited area that is suitable for human occupation to deactivate, destroy, or prevent the growth of disease-bearing microorganisms in the area.

The room sanitizers described in this document can come in a variety of configurations, including floor, wall, and ceiling. However, although room disinfection apparatus can be arranged within the ceiling of a room or within a wall or against a wall, in many cases it is advantageous to place an ultraviolet room disinfection apparatus away from such structures. In particular, one of the main factors affecting the intensity of UV light (and therefore the effectiveness of UV disinfection) on an object is the distance to the object and therefore in many cases it is Advantageously, placing an ultraviolet light room disinfection apparatus near the center of a room or near objects suspected of being contaminated to minimize distances to objects. Furthermore, in environments where a room disinfection apparatus can be used in multiple rooms in a building (such as a hospital), it is generally beneficial for the apparatus to be portable. For these reasons, many of the apparatus described in this document and depicted in the drawings are directed at floor-standing, portable, and room disinfection apparatus.

In general, the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are configured to distribute light in a substantially multidirectional manner. As used herein, the phrase "configured to distribute light in a substantially unidirectional manner" can refer to a configuration of an apparatus for propagating the majority of the light emitted by a discharge lamp in a single direction with propagated auxiliary light. at angles of less than 30 degrees with respect to said one direction. All other light distributions can be referred to by the phrase "configured to distribute light in a multidirectional manner". Room disinfection devices configured to distribute light in a multidirectional manner may be those that have a discharge lamp extending outward from a structure in which the discharge lamp is supported and / or those that have a discharge system. Auxiliary optical components to redirect the light that propagates away from the apparatus.

Since a room generally includes objects of different sizes and shapes located at different heights and distances from a certain point in the room (resulting in the number and different locations of surfaces to be disinfected), it is sometimes advantageous for a UV light apparatus used for room disinfection is configured to distribute UV light in many directions (i.e. multidirectional). In addition, as noted above, it is sometimes advantageous to place an ultraviolet light room disinfection apparatus away from the room walls to reduce distances to the variety of objects in the room and effectively increase disinfection efficiency. of the UV light emitted by the device. In addition to these ideas, it is sometimes effective for an ultraviolet room disinfection apparatus to be configured in such a way that at least some of the ultraviolet light generated by a discharge lamp is propagated to a region surrounding an outer surface of the apparatus and furthermore in such a way that the ultraviolet light propagated to the surrounding region during an operation of the apparatus occupies as a whole the entire surrounding region. Such a configuration is distinguished from ultraviolet light room disinfection apparatuses arranged on ceilings or walls and is described in greater detail below with reference to some of the apparatuses shown in the drawings.

Turning to Figure 1, an exemplary configuration of an ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus is provided having a horizontally positioned lamp. In particular, apparatus 20 is shown with discharge lamp 22 disposed within support structure 24 and specifically positioned longitudinally parallel to a plane of apparatus 20 in which discharge lamp 22 is supported (i.e., disposed parallel to an upper surface of the support structure 24). As indicated above and as will be described in greater detail below, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein are not restricted to embodiments in which a discharge lamp is located in a "horizontal position". Rather, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may include discharge lamps positioned forming any angle with respect to the plane of the surface of the support structure on which the discharge lamp is supported. Furthermore, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein are not limited to embodiments in which a discharge lamp is located near a top surface of an apparatus. In particular, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may have discharge lamps located near any exterior surface of an apparatus, including the side walls and bottom surfaces.

The horizontally placed and vertically placed lamps near the upper surfaces of the support structures are discussed in this document in particular, as these were the configurations used to refine some of the novel features of the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described in this document. However, this disclosure should not be construed as necessarily limiting the placement of discharge lamps in the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein. It is further noted that the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described in this document are not restricted to embodiments in which a discharge lamp is nested within the confines of a support structure as depicted in Figure 1. Rather, of Alternatively, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses may have a discharge lamp that is located at least partially exterior to a support structure, as described for the exemplary embodiments depicted in Figures 3-7.

In addition to the discharge lamp 22, the apparatus 20 includes a power circuit 26 and a firing circuit 30 arranged within the support structure 24, as well as circuits that connect the power circuit and the firing circuit to the firing lamp. discharge 22 as shown in Figure 1. In general, power circuit 26, firing circuit 30, and connecting circuits are configured to operate discharge lamp 22 (that is, to send an electric discharge to the lamp to create a radiant plasma inside). In particular, the firing circuit 30 is used to apply a firing voltage to an ignition electrode of the discharge lamp 22, which may be wrapped around the lamp or it may be the anode or cathode of the lamp, and power circuit 26 (eg, a capacitor) is used to apply an electrical potential between the cathode and anode of the lamp. The firing circuit 30 may be referred to herein in some cases as a pulse generator circuit, particularly when the discharge lamp apparatus includes a flash tube. The trigger voltage ionizes the gas within the lamp, increasing the conductivity of the gas to allow an arc to form between the cathode and anode.

As noted above, in some cases, the discharge lamp 22 may be a continuous light lamp, such as a mercury vapor lamp. In such embodiments, the trigger circuit 30 can generally generate a signal of less than 1000 volts and therefore may not be considered high voltage. (The term "high voltage" as used in this document refers to voltages greater than 1000 volts). In other embodiments, discharge lamp 22 can be a flash tube. Flash tubes require ignitions at higher voltages, typically between 2,000 and 150,000 volts. An example of a firing circuit voltage range for a xenon bulb can be between approximately 20 kV and 30 kV. In comparison, an exemplary voltage range for an energy storage circuit for a xenon bulb can be between about 1 kV and about 10 kV. In either case, apparatus 20 may include additional circuitry to provide power to other features of the apparatus, including, but not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU) 32, a user interface 34, and a room occupancy sensor. 36 as shown in Figure 1.

Although not necessary, one or more operations of apparatus 20 may be computer controlled, and thus apparatus 20 may, in some embodiments, include a CPU 32 to carry out applicable program instructions. Furthermore, the apparatus 20 may optionally include a user interface 34 to provide a means for a user to activate the operation, and possibly particular modes of operation, of the apparatus 20 as well as to provide a means for a user to access data collected from the device. apparatus. In some cases, user interface 34 may alternatively be a device other than apparatus 20 but configured for wired or wireless communication for apparatus 20. In this manner, apparatus 20 can be remotely controlled. The room occupancy sensor 36 is an optional security mechanism, which can generally be configured to determine whether or not people are present in the room, for example by motion detection or photographic recognition. Other optional features displayed on the apparatus 20 include wheels 38 and a handle 39 to affect the portability of the apparatus, but may be omitted depending on the design specifications of the apparatus.

As shown in Figure 1, apparatus 20 includes an optical filter 40, a cooling system 44, and a reflector system 60. As will be described in greater detail below, the configuration of the optical filters, cooling systems, and The reflector systems as well as the location of the discharge lamps may vary between the ultraviolet light fixtures described in this document. In fact, alternative embodiments for one or more of said features are described with reference to Figures 2-7 with respect to the configurations shown and described with reference to Figure 1. Each of these embodiments includes a supporting structure and components that accompany it as described for Figure 1, specifically with reference to the support structure 22, the power circuit 26, the trigger circuit 30, the CPU 32, the user interface 34, the occupancy sensor of the room 36, wheels 38 and handle 39. However, these features have not been depicted in Figures 2-7 for the sake of simplicity, as well as to emphasize the different configurations of the optical filters and reflector systems represented, as well as in the location of discharge lamps.

As indicated above, each of the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 includes a discharge lamp configured to generate ultraviolet light. In some embodiments, a discharge lamp of an apparatus may be further configured to generate other ranges of light, such as, but not limited to, visible light. In some of these cases, it may be advantageous to attenuate the visible light, particularly (but not necessarily limited to this assumption) if the visible light generated is very bright and / or bothersome. For example, xenon flash lamps generate pulses of a broad spectrum of light similar to the spectrum of sunlight, but the intensity of visible light is up to 20,000 times greater than that of sunlight. Thus, the apparatus described herein may, in some embodiments, include an optical filter configured to attenuate visible light. In some cases, the apparatus described in this document may include an optical filter configured to attenuate light in a majority part of the spectrum of visible light, greater than 75% of the spectrum of visible light, or in the entire spectrum of light. visible. In other embodiments, however, the optical filter may be configured to attenuate light to less than a majority part of the spectrum of visible light. In any case, the optical filter can be configured to attenuate a majority of the light in a certain part of the spectrum of visible light and, in some cases, more than 75% or all of the light in a certain part of the spectrum of the light. visible light.

Since the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1-8 are configured for exposure to ultraviolet light, the optical filter must pass ultraviolet light in addition to attenuating visible light. Thus, in some cases, the optical filter may be a visible light band stop filter. In other embodiments, however, the optical filter can be an ultraviolet band pass filter. In either case, the optical filter can be configured to pass a majority amount of light in a certain part of the spectrum of ultraviolet light and, in some embodiments, more than 75% or all of the light in a certain part of the spectrum of the ultraviolet light. ultraviolet light. In some cases, the given part of the spectrum of ultraviolet light may be a majority of the spectrum of ultraviolet light, more than 75% of the spectrum of ultraviolet light, or the entire spectrum of ultraviolet light. In other embodiments, however, the determined part of the ultraviolet light spectrum may be less than a majority part of the ultraviolet light spectrum. In some embodiments, the optical filter can be specifically configured to pass light in a specific part of the ultraviolet spectrum. For example, in cases where the apparatus is used for disinfection, decontamination or sterilization purposes, the optical filter may be configured to pass light in a majority part, greater than 75%, or in the entire part of the spectrum. Germicidal UV (i.e. about 200-320 nm). Additionally, or alternatively, the optical filter may be configured to pass light in a majority portion, greater than 75%, or the entire portion of the ultraviolet light spectrum that is known to be optimally germicidal (i.e. about 260-265 nm).

An exemplary optical filter glassware that can be used as an optical filter for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein is the Schott ilG5 Glass Filter which is available from SCHOTT North America, Inc. of Elmsford, NY. The Schott UG5 Glass Filter attenuates a majority of the visible light spectrum while allowing approximately 85% of ultraviolet light to pass through in a range from approximately 260 nm to approximately 265 nm. Other optical filter glass materials with similar or different characteristics can also be used, depending on the design specifications of an apparatus. In other cases, an optical filter considered for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may be a film having any of the optical characteristics described above. In such embodiments, the film can be disposed on an optically transparent material, such as quartz. In other embodiments, an optical filter considered for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein may be a combination of an optical filter glass material and a film disposed thereon, each of which is configured to attenuate the visible light.

The term "optical filter material", as used herein, refers to a material designed to influence the spectral transmission of light by blocking or attenuating specific wavelength spectra. Instead, the term "optically transparent", as used herein, refers to a material that allows light to pass through without blocking or substantial attenuation of a specific wavelength spectrum. Quartz is a well known optically transparent material. The term "film" as used herein refers to a thin layer of a substance and includes the term "coating" which refers to a layer of a substance spread over a surface. The films considered for the optical filters described in this document can be in solid or semi-solid form and, therefore, include solid substances and gels. Furthermore, the films considered for the optical filter described in this document can be in liquid, semi-solid or solid form when applied to a material, where the liquid and semi-solid forms can subsequently be converted to solid or semi-solid form after their application.

In any event, the efficiency of the optical filters placed in the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein will decrease over time due to solarization, and therefore the optical filters may need to be periodically replaced. Solarization is a phenomenon related to a decrease in the ability of an optical component to transmit ultraviolet radiation in relation to its exposure time to UV radiation. In some embodiments, an optical filter considered for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may include a solarization rate that is approximately an integer multiple of a discharge lamp degradation rate that an apparatus comprises. In other words, the discharge lamp can have a degradation rate that is an approximate factor of a solarization rate. optical filter. The term "factor" in a characterization like this of the optical filter refers to the mathematical definition of the term, referring specifically to a number that divides another number exactly, that is, without remainder. The solarization rate of an optical filter can be approximately any integer multiple of a discharge lamp degradation rate including one, and therefore, in some embodiments, a solarization rate of an optical filter can be similar or the same. to the degradation rate of a discharge lamp.

In general, discharge lamps are warranted for a number of uses (that is, a particular number of shots to generate a plasma), which is determined according to the expected degradation of one or more of its components. For example, pulsed light sources are often guaranteed for a particular number of pulses. For the apparatus described in this document, this total number of uses could be used to characterize a degradation rate of a discharge lamp by multiplying the amount of ultraviolet light that will be emitted during each operation by the number of shots for which the use of The discharge lamp is guaranteed. In this way, a degradation rate can be calculated that can be correlated with a solarization rate of an optical filter. If the solarization rate of an optical filter is approximately an integer multiple of a degradation rate of a discharge lamp in an apparatus, the components can be advantageously replaced at the same time and thus the downtime of the apparatus is reduced. may reduce relative to embodiments where components are substituted based on their individual merits. Furthermore, in cases where light is monitored to determine when to replace elements, the monitoring process can be simplified in that only the light emitted by one component needs to be measured. Other features that address the solarization of the optical filter incorporated in the apparatus described in this document are discussed in greater detail below with reference to Figures 1 and 3, specifically referring to a sensor system configured to monitor parameters associated with the operation of the device. discharge lamp, as well as the transmittance of the optical filter and also the inclusion of a thermal rejuvenation system within the appliances.

Various different exemplary configurations and arrangements of optical filters, as well as optional components that accompany them, are described in detail below, particularly with reference to Figures 1-7. More specifically, several different configurations of apparatus for housing an optical filter in alignment with a discharge lamp are described below. Each of the optical filters in the embodiments described with reference to Figures 1-7 may have the optical filter characteristics described above. The characteristics are not repeated for each embodiment for the sake of brevity. As noted above, although it is not necessarily limited thereto, an optical filter may be especially suitable for a room disinfection apparatus. This is because room disinfection appliances are generally configured to distribute light around the appliance and therefore do not include a housing to contain the light. It should be noted that although the inclusion of an optical filter may be beneficial in some of the apparatus described in this document, it is not necessarily a requirement and therefore can be omitted in some embodiments.

Another distinctive feature presented for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein is a reflector system configured to redirect ultraviolet light propagating away from a supporting structure of an apparatus. In general, the reflector systems considered for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described in this document can be used to increase the size of an area exposed to ultraviolet light by the apparatus, reduce the distance at which the ultraviolet light propagates to the target objects or areas, and / or improve the angle of incidence of ultraviolet light on the target objects or areas. Several different exemplary configurations and arrangements of reflector systems configured to achieve one or more of these objectives are described in greater detail below and shown in Figures 1-7. In particular, apparatus having a repositionable reflector are disclosed. Furthermore, apparatuses are disclosed that have a reflector system that is configured to redirect ultraviolet light propagating away from a supporting structure of the apparatus to surround an exterior surface of the apparatus. As indicated above, a configuration like this may be particularly applicable for room disinfection devices.

In addition, apparatus are disclosed that have a reflector system configured to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates away from a support structure of an apparatus to a region outside the apparatus and that is at a distance of between about 2 feet and about 4 feet ( 1 ft = 0.3048 m) from the floor of a room in which the appliance is located. In general, the region between about 2 feet and about 4 feet from the floor of a room is considered a "high touch" region of a room since frequently used objects are generally placed in that region. Examples of objects typically found in a high-touch area of a room include, but are not limited to, desks, keyboards, telephones, chairs, door and cabinet handles, light switches, and sinks. Examples of objects in high-touch areas of hospital rooms additionally or alternatively include beds, nightstands, tray tables, and IV stands. Because this region is considered a high-contact zone, it is generally considered the area with the highest probability of coming into contact with germs, and some studies indicate that the high-contact zone may be the area with the highest concentration. of germs. For these reasons, the apparatus of the invention is configured to direct at least some ultraviolet light to a region that is between about 2 feet and about 4 feet from a room floor. The inclusion of a reflector system such as the one described in this document is used to achieve this goal.

The reflector systems described in this document are especially suitable for a room disinfection apparatus. This is because room disinfection devices are generally configured to distribute the light to the surroundings of the apparatus and, therefore, do not include a housing to contain and reflect the light. For the reasons described above, many of the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described in this document and represented in the drawings are directed to floor room disinfection apparatuses in which the discharge lamp is designed to propagate light above a upper surface of the apparatus support structure. However, as noted above, this emphasized disclosure should not be construed as necessarily limiting the configurations of the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein. For example, in embodiments where a discharge lamp is positioned to propagate light adjacent to a side wall surface of a support structure of an apparatus, the reflector system of the apparatus may include a reflector attached to an uppermost portion of the apparatus. side wall surface and / or a reflector attached to a lower portion of the side wall surface such that ultraviolet light is reflected down or up to a concentrated area.

Various other arrangements may also be suitable, particularly for increasing the size of an area exposed to ultraviolet light by the apparatus, reducing the distance that ultraviolet light propagates to objects or target areas, and / or improving the angle of incidence of UV light on objects or target areas.

In any event, as described in greater detail below, a reflector system considered for the apparatus described herein may include one or more reflectors, which may be of any size to achieve the desired redirection of light. Furthermore, the material of the one or more reflectors can be whatever is seen to be suitable for the redirection of the desired light. An exemplary reflector material that has been found to be suitable for many of the apparatus configurations described herein is 4300UP Miro-UV available from ALANOD Aluminum-Veredlung GmbH & Co. KG. Another exemplary reflective material that has been found to be suitable for many of the apparatus configurations described herein is GORE® DRP® Diffuse Reflector Material available from WL Gore & Associates, Inc. Other materials may additionally or alternatively be used. reflectors, depending on the design specifications of the reflection system. In any case, each of the embodiments of the reflection systems described with reference to Figures 1-7 may have the characteristics of the reflection systems described above. The characteristics are not repeated for each embodiment for the sake of brevity. As with the inclusion of an optical filter in the apparatus described herein, although the inclusion of a reflector system may be beneficial in some apparatus, it is not necessarily a requirement and therefore can be omitted in some embodiments. Furthermore, the features of an optical filter and a reflector system are not mutually exclusive or mutually inclusive for an apparatus, and therefore an apparatus may include one or both of these features.

Returning to Figure 1, the apparatus 20 includes an optical filter 40 configured to attenuate the visible light emitted by the discharge lamp 22. The configuration of the optical filter 40 to attenuate the visible light emitted by the discharge lamp 22 in Figure 1 it pertains specifically to the optical characteristics of the filter for attenuating visible light, as well as the placement of the optical filter above and in alignment with discharge lamp 22. As shown in Figure 1, the optical filter 40 may be located flush with the top surface of the support structure 24 between the side walls of the cup portion 42 such that the optical filter 40 comprises a wall of a casing that encloses discharge lamp 22. As described in greater detail below, the apparatus described herein include a cooling system to regulate the temperature of the discharge lamp and encapsulating the lamp within a casing offers a effective way to reach a desired temperature. The use of the optical filter 40 as a wall of a shell of the discharge bulb 22 can simplify the incorporation of the optical filter within the apparatus 20 and, therefore, can be beneficial in some aspects of design. However, in some embodiments, it may be beneficial to have an optical filter 40 other than the discharge lamp housing 22. For example, in some cases, it may be advantageous to be able to position an optical filter aligned and misaligned with respect to a discharge lamp. discharge, depending on the desired operation of the device. Such a configuration is described in greater detail below and exemplary variations of apparatus 20 are shown in Figures 2a-2c to accommodate such a configuration.

The cooling systems that may be considered for the appliances described in this document may vary and may generally depend on the design specifications of the appliance. Exemplary refrigeration systems that may be used include, but are not limited to, forced air systems and liquid cooling systems. The cooling system 44 shown in Figure 1 is a forced air system that includes an air inlet 46, an air inlet duct 48, a fan 50, a temperature sensor 52, an air duct 54, and an outlet. air duct 56. In some cases, one or more of the air inlets 46, air inlet duct 48, air duct 54, and air outlet 56 may include air filters. In some embodiments, air conduit 54 and / or air outlet 56 may additionally or alternatively include an ozone filter. In other cases, however, an ozone filter may be omitted from the apparatus. Ozone can generally be created as a by-product of the use of discharge lamp 22, specifically if the lamp generates ultraviolet light of wavelengths shorter than about 240 nm, as this spectrum of ultraviolet light causes oxygen atoms to the oxygen molecules dissociate, beginning the ozone generation process. Ozone is a known health and air quality hazard and therefore the release of ozone from devices is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ozone is also known to be an effective germicidal agent and therefore, if the amount of ozone to be generated by a discharge lamp is less than the EPA exposure limits for ozone, it may be beneficial to exclude an ozone filter. of appliances that include such a discharge lamp.

In any case, for the apparatus 20, as well as for the other apparatus described in this document, different configurations of outlet ducts can be considered for the refrigeration system 44. For example, in some configurations, a refrigeration system may be configured with an air outlet at the bottom of a side wall of the support structure 24 or at the bottom surface of the support structure 24. The benefits of these alternative configurations include increased capacity for an ozone filter, as well as a Reduced harm to the environment, particularly when an air outlet is located on the lower surface of the support structure 24. In any case, the apparatus described in this document may include a cooling system for the rest of the components within the support structure 24. In some cases, the cooling system of the support structure may be integrated with with the cooling system 44 for the discharge lamp 22. However, in other embodiments, the two cooling systems may be different. It should be noted that, although the inclusion of one or more refrigeration systems may be beneficial in some of the apparatus described herein, it is not necessarily a requirement and therefore may be omitted in some embodiments.

As noted above, apparatus 20 includes reflector system 60. In general, reflector system 60 is configured to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates away from support structure 24. Configuration of reflector system 60 to achieve this goal involves the placement, shape, and angle of reflector 62. In particular, discharge lamp 22 is located in apparatus 20 to propagate light above an upper surface of support structure 24, and thus reflector 62 is positioned above discharge lamp 22 to redirect propagating ultraviolet light. In general, redirection of ultraviolet light reduces the distance that ultraviolet light travels to objects adjacent to the apparatus, including the bottom surfaces of objects, as well as the top and side wall surfaces of objects. In particular, the redirection of ultraviolet light through reflector 62 prevents it from traveling to surfaces above the apparatus (for example, the ceiling of the room in which the apparatus is located) so that it is reflected back to the fixtures. objects adjacent to the appliance. Avoiding its path to surfaces above the appliance also shortens the distance that ultraviolet light needs to travel to strike the underside of objects (for example, through reflection from the floor of a room in the room). an appliance is located). Thus, reflector system 60 includes a reflector disposed above support structure 24 but spaced from the ceiling of the room in which the apparatus is located as shown for reflector 62 in Figure 1. In some cases, however, reflector system 60 may include a reflector disposed within or on the ceiling of the room in which the apparatus is located.

In some cases, the reflection system 60 may be configured to optimize the angle of incidence at which the ultraviolet light is directed to the surfaces of the objects. For example, reflector 62 can be designed to a specific size and / or can be repositionable such that an optimum angle of incidence can be obtained on an object. Exemplary configurations in which reflector 62 is repositionable are described in greater detail below. In any event, reflector system 60 may include, in some embodiments, one or more additional reflectors (ie, in addition to reflector 62). For example, in some cases, reflector system 60 may include a reflector attached to a side wall of support structure 24, which is configured to redirect ultraviolet light received from reflector 62. Inclusion of this additional reflector may be beneficial to direct ultraviolet light towards the undersides of objects located within a room. Reflectors may also or alternatively be used and generally may be designed (ie, size, shape, and location) to achieve any of the objectives listed above for reflector system 60 in conjunction with reflector 62.

In accordance with the invention, reflector system 60 is specifically configured to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates away from support structure 24 to a region that is between about 2 feet and about 4 feet from the floor of a room. in which the apparatus 20 is located. In particular, as described above, it may be advantageous to redirect the ultraviolet light to said region since it is a high contact zone. In some cases, reflector system 60 may be additionally or alternatively configured to redirect ultraviolet light that propagates away from support structure 24 to a region surrounding an exterior surface of the apparatus. For example, reflector 62 can be sized such that ultraviolet light is redirected to a region surrounding support structure 24. Alternatively, reflector 62 can be shaped and sized such that ultraviolet light is redirected. to a region surrounding the reflector system 60. In any case and in accordance with the invention, a conical shape for the reflector 62 is particularly suitable to achieve such redirection.

The term "circling" as used herein refers to the formation of a continuous circle around an object. The term is not restricted to the embodiments of surrounding a whole of an object or even a significant part of an object. Thus, the expression that the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may be configured such that ultraviolet light surrounds an outer surface of an apparatus refers to the formation of a continuous ring of ultraviolet light around at least some external part of the apparatus. Furthermore, the expression that the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein may be configured such that ultraviolet light propagated to a region surrounding an apparatus during operation of the apparatus collectively occupies the entire surrounding region. refers to each part of a continuous ring region around an apparatus being exposed to ultraviolet light at some point during the operation of the apparatus.

Regardless of the configuration of the reflection system 60, the apparatus 20 may, in some embodiments, include another reflector system located within the support structure 24 that is configured to redirect the light emitted by the discharge lamp 22 in the direction of propagation of light away from the supporting structure. In In particular, apparatus 20 may include a reflection system that is configured to redirect light emitted from the side and bottom surfaces of discharge lamp 22 in the same direction as light emitted from the top surfaces of discharge lamp 22. An example of such a reflection system may involve the floor and / or the side walls of the cup portion 42 having a reflective material. However, for the apparatus described in this document other configurations of reflection systems can be considered.

As shown in Figure 1, reflector system 60 may include support beams 64 and 66 to suspend reflector 62. Such cantilevered support structure is merely one example and various other support structures can be considered for reflector 62. Regardless of the configuration for suspending reflector 62 above discharge lamp 22, reflector system 60 may, in some cases, include through holes such that some of the light propagated to reflector system 60 can pass through. from them to regions located above the reflector system 60. An example of an embodiment with support beam 66 that includes through holes 68 is shown in Figure 1. In additional or alternative cases, the reflector 62 may include through holes for this purpose. . In other embodiments, the reflector system 60 may lack such through holes. Regardless, the size of the reflector system 60 and, more specifically, the size of the reflector 62 may vary between appliances. In some cases, the area dimensions of the reflector 62 may be equal to or greater than the area dimensions of the housing in which the discharge lamp 22 is contained. In this way, almost all of the light that is propagated from the bracket 24 will be directed to reflector 62. However, in other embodiments, the area dimensions of reflector 62 may be less than the area dimensions of the shell in which discharge lamp 22 is contained. Light propagating from support structure 24 can be directed past reflector 62.

Regardless of its size and configuration, the reflector system 60 may, in some cases, be configured to move the reflector 62 in the horizontal and / or vertical direction as shown by the double arrow lines in Figure 1. In this manner , reflector 62 may be a repositionable reflector. In some embodiments, reflector 62 is movable between operations of apparatus 20, and thus reflector system 60 may, in some cases, include means for attaching the repositionable reflector at different positions within apparatus 20. In other embodiments , reflector system 60 may include means for moving reflector 62 while apparatus 20 is in operation. The movement of reflector 62 may be continuous or periodic while apparatus 20 is in operation, and thus reflector 62 may move while discharge lamp 22 is emitting light in some cases. The reference that the apparatus 20 is in operation refers to periods in which the components of the apparatus have been activated to operate the discharge lamp 22 and specifically the operations by which to generate a radiant plasma within the discharge lamp. As noted above, discharge lamp 22 may be configured, in some embodiments, to generate continuous light once the lamp is activated, and thus reference that apparatus 20 is in operation in such cases refers to the time used to activate the lamp, as well as the time of continuous light emission. In other embodiments, a flash lamp or pulsed light source may be used for discharge lamp 22, and in these cases the reference that apparatus 20 is in operation refers to times when light is emitted. from the lamp, as well as to the times between the flashes of light.

In any event, a means for moving reflector 62 and sometimes fixing reflector 62 at different positions within apparatus 20 may include, in some embodiments, one or more linear actuators for beam 64 and / or beam 66 as well as Program instructions processed by the CPU 32 to affect the movement of the one or more linear actuators and the moment in which they are carried out. In some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be configured such that reflector 62 can be moved manually. Exemplary means for fixing reflector 62 at different positions within apparatus 20 in these cases may include notches along beam 64 and / or beam 66 and a housing protrusion on reflector 62 or vice versa. Various other means for moving reflector 62 and / or fixing reflector 62 at different positions within apparatus 20 may also be considered, and thus the apparatus are not limited to the examples listed above. In any event, reflector 62 may be removable from apparatus 20 in some cases to affect its movement relative to discharge lamp 22 and / or for ease of storage or portability of apparatus 20.

In some cases, the movement of the reflector 62 may be based on characteristics of a room in which the apparatus 20 is located. More generally, it may be advantageous, in some embodiments, to access and / or analyze the characteristics of a room and use such information to determine a number of operating parameters for apparatus 20, such as, but not limited to, the location of reflector 62 and / or the movement characteristics of reflector 62. For example, if a relatively high number of objects within a room are in the same general area, it may be beneficial to position reflector 62 to direct more light to that area compared to other areas of the room. Other examples of determining the operating parameters of disinfection sources based on the characteristics of a room are described with reference to Figures 2a-2c (i.e., determining a position of the optical filter 40 based on the characteristics of a room ), with reference to Figure 7 (i.e. determining a position of the optical filter / reflector assembly based on the characteristics of a room), as well as with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

In general, the phrase "characteristics of a room" as used in this document refers to physical attributes as well as non-physical attributes of a room. The non-physical attributes of a room include, but are not necessarily limited to, the identifiers used to refer to a room (e.g., number and / or room name) and occupancy information related to a room (eg, infection information for a patient who previously occupied the room or a patient who is scheduled to occupy the room). The physical attributes of a room include, but are not necessarily limited to, the size and / or dimensions of the room and / or the number, size, distances, locations, reflectance, and / or identification of surfaces, objects, and / or items. located inside the room. In some cases, a physical attribute of a room may be the identification of one or more pathological organisms and, sometimes, in addition, the number or concentration of said one or more organisms in the room, in a particular region of the room, or on a particular surface in the room. The phrase "operating parameter of a disinfection source", as used in this document, refers to any parameter that may affect the operation of a disinfection source, including, but not limited to, the execution time of a disinfection source. source of disinfection, the position of a source of disinfection, the orientation of the components comprising a source of disinfection and / or the energy supplied to a source of disinfection. The term "source of disinfection" as used herein refers to a collection of one or more components used to generate and disperse a germicidal agent and, if applicable, includes any additional components used to effect the generation or dispersal. germicidal agent. For example, discharge lamp 22, power circuit 26, firing circuit 30, optical filter 40, and reflector system 60 of Figure 1 may collectively be referred to as a source of disinfection. Alternatively, apparatus 20 as a whole may be referred to as a source of disinfection.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may include or may be configured to access a database that lists the characteristics of the room in which the apparatus 20. Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus 20 may include a system 70 to collect and / or generate data related to the characteristics of a room in which the apparatus is located. In such cases, any system known in the art can be used to collect, generate and / or analyze characteristics of a room, depending on the data to be generated. Examples include spatial sensors, photo recognition systems, and / or dosimeters. As shown in Figure 1, system 70 may, in some embodiments, be functionally coupled to CPU 32. Alternatively, CPU 32 may be configured to access characteristic room data from a database. In either case, the CPU 32 may be configured to retrieve and access data related to the characteristics of the room in which the apparatus 20 is located and determine an operating parameter of the apparatus 20, such as a position of the reflector 62, at base to the data. In some embodiments, the determined operating parameter may be transmitted via user interface 34 such that a user of apparatus 20 can be informed to invoke the operating parameter for apparatus 20, for example, move the reflector 62 to a particular position. In other cases, the CPU 32 may be configured to send a command in accordance with the determined operating parameter to means within the apparatus 20 to automatically invoke the operating parameter, such as automatically moving the reflector 62.

In some embodiments, the system 70 can be used to measure doses of ultraviolet light received at an object or point in a room in which the apparatus 20. In particular, the measurement of the dose of ultraviolet light received at an object or point. point in a room can help determine the operating parameter of apparatus 20, for example, to optimize the location of reflector 62. As noted above, one of the main factors affecting the intensity of UV light on an object is the distance to the object. Another main factor is the angle of incidence of the light. In light of the above, if the doses of ultraviolet light received at an object or point in a room can be measured, these measurements can be used to determine the operating parameter of the apparatus 20 (for example, move the reflector 62 to optimize the angle of incidence on the object or point). By operative coupling of system 70 to CPU 32, CPU 32 may be configured to retrieve measurements from system 70, determine an operating parameter of apparatus 20 based on the measurements, such as a position of reflector 62, and transmitting the determined operating parameter to the user interface 34 and / or sending a command according to the determined operating parameter to means within the apparatus 20 to automatically invoke the operating parameter, such as moving the reflector 62. In In general, any system known in the art for measuring doses of ultraviolet light can be used for system 70. Examples include ultraviolet dosimeters and radiometers.

As noted above, the efficiency of discharge lamps and optical filters will decrease over time due to solarization. Additionally, discharge lamps generally have a limited life as components in them wear out after much use. Thus, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus considered herein may include, in some embodiments, a sensor system configured to monitor one or more parameters associated with discharge lamp operation and, if applicable, one or more parameters associated with the transmittance of the optical filter. In particular, such a sensor system can be beneficial in determining when to replace the discharge lamp and, if applicable, the optical filter, as well as in monitoring the efficiency of the UV light emitted by the apparatus as it is related to the intensity and dose of UV. In general, the one or more parameters associated with the transmittance of an optical filter can be the dose of ultraviolet light or the intensity of the ultraviolet light. The same parameters can be monitored for the operation of a discharge lamp, but additionally or alternatively the total number of pulses can be monitored since discharge lamps are generally guaranteed for a specific number of pulses. In any case, when a sensor system is to be used to monitor one or more parameters associated with both the operation of a discharge lamp and the transmittance of an optical filter, the sensor system may be configured to monitor the same parameters or a few. parameters different with respect to the two components. In some embodiments, a sensor system can include a single sensor configured to measure one or more parameters associated with a discharge lamp and an optical filter. In other embodiments, however, a sensor system may include separate sensors for measuring respective parameters of a discharge lamp and an optical filter.

An exemplary sensor system for the apparatus 20 of Figure 1 includes a sensor 72 located at the bottom of the reflector system 60 and a sensor 74 located in the housing comprising the discharge lamp 22. In general, the sensor 74 can be used to monitor a parameter associated with the operation of discharge lamp 22 and, more specifically, can be used to monitor the light emitted by discharge lamp 22 before it passes through optical filter 40. Figure 1 illustrates the sensor 74 disposed on a side wall surface of cup portion 42, but sensor 74 may be located at any location within the discharge lamp housing 22. In other embodiments, sensor 74 may be omitted from apparatus 20. In particular, sensor 72 may be configured, in some embodiments, to monitor parameters associated with the operation of discharge lamp 22 (such as by the total number of p pulses) and therefore sensor 74 may not be necessary. In either case, the sensor 72 can be used to monitor a parameter associated with the transmittance of the optical filter 40 and, therefore, can be located at any location in the apparatus 20 or near the apparatus 20 to receive the light that has passed. through optical filter 40. Figure 1 shows sensor 72 located at the bottom of reflector system 60, but this placement is exemplary.

As indicated above, it may be advantageous, in some cases, to be able to position an optical filter aligned and misaligned with respect to a discharge lamp, depending on the desired operation of an apparatus. Example embodiments include those in which an appliance will be used in different rooms, some with windows and some without windows. As noted above, it may be advantageous to have an optical filter positioned in alignment with a discharge lamp in rooms that have windows. On the contrary, however, it may be beneficial to be able to place an optical filter misaligned with respect to a discharge lamp in a closed room without windows to avoid unnecessary degradation of the optical filter. More specifically, since the visible light generated by a discharge lamp in a closed room will not be seen, it may not be necessary to filter the light. Furthermore, as noted above, the ability of an optical filter to transmit ultraviolet radiation will decrease relative to its exposure time to UV radiation due to solarization. Thus, having the ability to position an optical filter out of alignment with a discharge lamp can offer a way to extend the life of an optical filter for a given apparatus.

Exemplary variations of apparatus 20 are shown in Figures 2a-2c that are configured such that an optical filter can be positioned in alignment and misalignment with respect to discharge lamp 22. In particular, Figures 2a-2c illustrate variations to the placement of the optical filter 40 relative to its placement in Figure 1 as part of the discharge lamp housing 22. It should be noted that Figures 2a-2c simply describe examples of configurations for accommodating an optical filter aligned and misaligned with respect to a discharge lamp, but these exemplary disclosures and representations should not be construed as limiting the configurations of the apparatus described herein for such purpose. It should be further noted that although Figures 2a-2c are described as variations to the apparatus 20 of Figure 1, Figures 2a-2c only represent a fraction of an apparatus for the purpose of simplifying the drawings. In particular, Figures 2a-2c only represent the placement of the optical filter 40 in relation to the discharge lamp housing 22 within the support structure 24. It should be noted that the features represented in Figures 2a-2c with the same Configurations described with reference to Figure 1 (i.e. discharge lamp 22, support structure 24, optical filter 40, and cup portion 42) are denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions of such features are not repeated. for the sake of brevity. Since the embodiments of Figures 2a-2c do not have an optical filter 40 as part of the discharge lamp housing 22, each of Figures 2a-2c includes a new feature relative to Figure 1, specifically a top piece 82 of the envelope. In general, the top piece 82 of the shell may be of an optically transparent material, such as, but not limited to, quartz.

As shown in Figure 2a, a variation 80 to apparatus 20 may include an optical filter 40 located on top piece 82 of the casing. In such a configuration, in some embodiments, the optical filter 40 can be simply positioned on top of the support structure 24 (i.e., the part of the support structure 24 that comprises a top piece 82 of the shell) without means for fixing the optical filter 40 to the support structure. Alternatively, the variation 80 may include means for attaching the optical filter 40 to the support structure 24. In either case, the placement of the optical filter 40 on the top piece 82 of the casing may be manual or it may be automated. Figure 2b illustrates a variation 84 of apparatus 20 slightly modified from variation 80 of Figure 2a. In particular, Figure 2b illustrates the inclusion of the hinge 86 mounted on one side of the optical filter 40. In this way, the optical filter 40 can be located on the upper part 82 of the casing and can be removed from said position without detaching. of the device. Hinge 86 may be configured to pivot optical filter 40 at any angle between 90 and 180 degrees relative to the position of optical filter 40 shown in Figure 2b. Therefore, the optical filter 40 can be placed in any position between a vertical position and a position on the support structure 24 opposite the discharge lamp 22 when moved from the position above the discharge lamp. The movement of the optical filter 40 in these embodiments can be manual or it can be automated. A different variation of apparatus 20 is depicted in Figure 2c having an optical filter 40 positioned on a slide to move the optical filter in alignment and misalignment with respect to discharge lamp 22 along the upper surface of the support structure. 24, as indicated by the double arrow horizontal. The movement of the optical filter 40 on the slide can be manual or automatic.

Regardless of the configuration of apparatus 20 such that optical filter 40 can be positioned aligned and misaligned with respect to discharge lamp 22, apparatus 20 may be configured so that optical filter 40 is protected from exposure to UV light when not aligned with discharge lamp 22. For example, apparatus 20 may, in some embodiments, include a compartment in which optical filter 40 can be placed when removed from the apparatus and / or replaced. place on it. Additionally, or alternatively, apparatus 20 may include a component to cover optical filter 40 when it is misaligned with discharge lamp 22. In any event, as described above, each of the embodiments described in the Figures 2a-2c can be automated and, therefore, not only can the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein be configured to house an optical filter aligned and misaligned with respect to a discharge lamp, the apparatus may include , in some embodiments, means for automatically moving the optical filter into and out of alignment with the discharge lamp. Such means can include any one or more mechanisms known in the art for moving objects. In some embodiments, the determination of whether or not to move the optical filter and / or the choice of timing to move the optical filter may be determined by a user of the apparatus 20. In other cases, however, the apparatus 20 may include instructions for programs that are executable by the CPU 32 in such a way that the determination of whether or not to move the optical filter and / or the choice of the moment to move the optical filter can be automated.

As noted above, it may be advantageous, in some embodiments, to access and / or analyze the characteristics of a room and use that information to determine a series of operating parameters for the apparatus 20. In particular, it may be advantageous to determine whether or not there are or not a window in the room in which the apparatus 20 is located and determining a position of the optical filter 40 based on the data. Thus, in embodiments where a window is detected in a room in which the apparatus 20 is located, the optical filter 40 can be placed in alignment with the discharge lamp 22 prior to operating the discharge lamp to produce light. . In contrast, in embodiments where a window is not detected in a room in which the apparatus 20 is located, the optical filter 40 may be positioned misaligned with the discharge lamp 22 prior to operating the discharge lamp to produce light. It should be noted that the optional configurations to affect the movement of the optical filter 40 may be additional or alternative to the configurations indicated above to affect the movement of the reflector 62. As noted above, the apparatus 20 may include or may be configured to access a database that lists characteristics of one or more rooms and / or apparatus 20 may include system 70, to collect and / or generate data related to the characteristics of a room. In general, any system known in the art for determining whether or not there is a window in the room can be used for system 70 in such cases, such as, but not limited to, reflection sensors. As described in greater detail above, the CPU 32 of the apparatus 20 may be configured to retrieve and / or access the data, determine a position of the optical filter 40 based on the data, and transmit the determined position to the user interface. 34 and / or send a command according to the determined position to means located within the apparatus 20 to automatically move the optical filter 40.

Figure 2c illustrates an optional feature for apparatus 20 in conjunction with the inclusion of a slider for optical filter 40, specifically the inclusion of a thermal rejuvenation chamber 90 adjacent to support structure 24. As noted above, capacity of an optical filter to transmit ultraviolet radiation will decrease in relation to your exposure time to UV radiation due to solarization. In some cases, however, the effects of solarization can be reversed if the optical filter is heated to high temperatures, for example on the order of 500 ° C. Although this process can be performed independently of apparatus 20, it may be advantageous in some embodiments to incorporate the process into apparatus 20 to reduce apparatus downtime and / or in such a way that it is not necessary to have a replacement optical filter on hand. while the optical filter 40 is being rejuvenated. Due to the high temperatures required to reverse the effects of solarization, it is preferable that the thermal rejuvenation chamber 90 is a separate chamber than the support structure 24. In addition, it would be advantageous for the chamber rejuvenation device 90 was configured not only to resist, but substantially to contain, the heat generated therein to prevent degradation or heat damage to components located within support structure 24.

As shown by the down arrow in Figure 2c, apparatus 20 may be configured, in some embodiments, to move optical filter 40 into thermal rejuvenation chamber 90. In other embodiments, it can be done manually. In any event, the movement of the optical filter 40 into the thermal rejuvenation chamber 90 may depend, in some embodiments, on measurements taken in relation to the transmittance of the optical filter 40. In particular, the information collected from the sensor 72 in relation to to the transmittance of the optical filter 40 can be used to determine when to move the optical filter into the thermal rejuvenation chamber 90. Although the inclusion of a thermal rejuvenation chamber may be beneficial in some appliances, it is not a requirement and therefore Therefore, it can be omitted in some embodiments. Furthermore, the features that the thermal rejuvenation chamber 90 and the optical filter 40 are on a slide as shown in Figure 2c are neither mutually exclusive nor mutually inclusive for an apparatus and thus an apparatus may include one or both traits. In fact, any of the apparatus described in this document that include an optical filter can include a thermal rejuvenation chamber, including those described above with reference to Figures 1, 2a and 2b, as well as those described below with reference to Figures 3-7.

As noted above, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein are not restricted to embodiments in which a discharge lamp is arranged (i.e., nested) within the limits of a support structure as depicted in FIG. Figure 1. Rather, ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses may alternatively have a discharge lamp that is located at least partially external to a support structure. An exemplary embodiment of a variation to apparatus 20 is shown in Figure 3 in which discharge lamp 22 is located outside of support structure 24. As shown in Figure 3, a variation 92 may include a different optical filter configuration than that shown for apparatus 20 in Figure 1, specifically optical filter 94 rather than optical filter 40. In addition to being configured to attenuate the visible light propagated above discharge lamp 22, optical filter 94 is configured to attenuate visible light propagated laterally from discharge lamp to account for discharge lamp 22 which is located above support structure 24 Due to this displacement of the discharge lamp 22, the cup portion 42, in some embodiments, can be omitted from the support structure 24 as shown in Figure 3. In these cases, the variation 92 can, in some embodiments such as that shown in Figure 3, include a reflective plane 96 disposed below discharge lamp 22 to redirect light emitted from the bottom of discharge lamp 22 to cia up.

As noted above, furthermore, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein are not restricted to embodiments in which a discharge lamp is located in a "horizontal position". Rather, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may include discharge lamps positioned at any angle to the plane of the surface on which the lamp is supported. Examples of ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus having discharge lamps located in a "vertical position" (ie, located longitudinally perpendicular to a plane of the apparatus in which the lamp is supported) are shown in Figures 4-7. Each of these embodiments includes a supporting structure, a power circuit, a trigger circuit, and accompanying optional components (e.g., CPU, user interface, sensors, room feature system, hinge, slide, and / or thermal rejuvenation chamber) as described for Figure 1. However, each of these features has not been depicted in each of Figures 4-7 for the sake of simplicity, as well as to emphasize the different configurations of the optical filters and reflector systems represented. Furthermore, each of these features has not been described with reference to Figures 4-7 for the sake of brevity.

Turning to Figure 4, the apparatus 100 is shown with a discharge lamp assembly supported above the support structure 102 and positioned longitudinally perpendicular to a plane of the support structure 102. The discharge lamp assembly includes a lamp discharge tube 104 surrounded by an optical filter 106 and disposed vertically between a fan 108 and an ozone filter 119. In addition, the discharge lamp assembly includes a base 110 and an air filter 112 supported on the base 114. The optical filter 106 may be, in some embodiments, a wall of a shell that encloses discharge lamp 104, forming a forced air cooling system for apparatus 100 with fan 108. Apparatus 100 further includes reflector 118 attached to filter of ozone 119 in the upper part of the optical filter 106. The characteristics of the reflector 118, the discharge lamp 104 and the refrigeration system of the apparatus 100, as well as the characteristics of the Optical statistics of the optical filter 106 may generally include those described above for all ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus considered herein and are not repeated for the sake of brevity. As with the embodiments described above, several of the components included in apparatus 100 can be substituted and / or omitted for other configurations of ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein, particularly the optical filter 106, the ozone filter 119 and the appliance cooling system 100. Thus, the compilation and component configurations depicted in Figure 4 are not necessarily mutually inclusive.

In addition, it should be noted that apparatus 100 may include additional components (ie, components other than what is depicted in Figure 4). For example, in some embodiments, apparatus 100 may include an optically transparent intermediate barrier located between discharge lamp 104 and optical filter 106 and spaced apart from them. An exemplary material for the intermediate barrier may be quartz, but its composition is not limited thereto. The intermediate barrier may be a wall of an envelope enclosing discharge lamp 104 and thus may be arranged vertically between fan 108 and ozone filter 119 and part of the cooling system for apparatus 100. In In these cases, the optical filter 106 surrounds the intermediate barrier as a separate piece of glass separated from the intermediate barrier and is attached to the base 110, the fan 108 and / or the reflector 118. The incorporation of an intermediate barrier between the lamp Discharge lamp 104 and optical filter 106 may be advantageous when it is desirable to have the ability to position optical filter 106 aligned and misaligned with respect to discharge lamp 104 or when it is desirable for optical filter 106 to move independently of the discharge lamp. discharge 104 during the operation of the apparatus. In particular, an intermediate barrier can take on the role of being part of a housing for the discharge lamp 104, allowing movement of the optical filter 106 without sacrificing a cooling system for the discharge lamp 104.

As described in greater detail below, in some embodiments it may be advantageous to move an optical filter of the apparatus described herein about a central axis (eg, rotate or oscillate) during operation of an apparatus. However, it is generally undesirable to move a discharge lamp in the same manner due to concerns of damage to the discharge lamp. Thus, in some embodiments, optical filter 106 may be attached to base 110 or fan 108, but may be separate from reflector 118, or vice versa. In these cases, apparatus 100 may include one or more additional components coupled to the optical filter. 106 that is configured to block light, particularly visible light, in the space between optical filter 106 and base 110, fan 108, or reflector 118. Exemplary components that may be particularly suitable for this function may be a dense collection sows.

In any event, although the amount and flow rate of cooling gas discharged from an appliance can vary widely and may generally depend on the design specifications of the appliance, in some embodiments the quantity and flow rate of the gas may be sufficient to activate the appliances. sprinkler systems in a room, particularly when the exhaust duct of a refrigeration system is directed towards the ceiling as discovered during the development of the apparatus described in this document. Thus, in some cases, the apparatus 100 may include a cover component spaced above the discharge lamp assembly to allow air discharge to the side of the apparatus rather than above the apparatus. An exemplary configuration of a cap component is shown in Figure 5 and is described in more detail below. An alternative solution to prevent sprinkler systems from being activated by a cooling system exhaust is to reduce the gas flow through the lamp assembly if doing so does not cause the discharge lamp to be above its maximum temperature of suggested operation. Conversely, reducing gas flow may not be desirable in some cases (i.e. even if it does not cause the discharge lamp to exceed its maximum operating temperature) as operating discharge lamps at cooler temperatures generally offers a Longer lamp life and theoretically generates more UV light.

Figure 5 illustrates a variation 115 to the appliance 100 having the cap component 117 positioned above the appliance lamp discharge assembly and, more specifically, above a cooling system outlet within the lamp discharge assembly. lamp in such a way that exhaust gases from the lamp can be directed to the sides rather than above the fixture. As shown in Figure 5, the lid component 117 can be domed to prevent objects from being placed on it. Such a dome configuration is not restricted to embodiments where an apparatus includes a cap component above a discharge lamp assembly. In particular, the top of a discharge lamp assembly may be domed in some cases to prevent objects from being placed on it. Furthermore, the inclusion of the cap component 117 is not mutually inclusive in embodiments where the ozone filter 119 comprises the entire upper portion of the discharge lamp assembly as shown in Figure 5. In particular, any of the apparatus described herein may include a separate component from an outlet of your cooling system to direct exhaust gases therefrom.

As shown in Figure 4, apparatus 100 may include, in some embodiments, linear actuators 116 coupled to base 114. In general, linear actuators 116 can be used to move the discharge lamp and reflector assembly 118 attached by inserting it into and out of the support structure 102. Such a configuration may be advantageous in protecting the discharge lamp assembly and attached reflector from damage while the apparatus 100 is not in use, and particularly during transportation. In other embodiments, linear actuators 116 can be used to move the discharge lamp assembly and attached reflector while apparatus 100 is in operation and, in some cases, while discharge lamp 104 is emitting light. In particular, in some embodiments, it may be advantageous to move the discharge lamp assembly and attached reflector while the apparatus 100 is in operation to aid in the distribution of ultraviolet light within a room in which the apparatus is located. Other ways of effecting movement of the discharge lamp assembly and attached reflector may be used, and thus the apparatus considered herein are not necessarily limited to linear actuators 116 to accomplish that goal. For example, apparatus 100 may alternatively have fixed rails along which the discharge lamp assembly and attached reflector can move.

Since apparatus 100 is configured to extend discharge lamp 104 beyond an outer surface of support structure 102, optical filter 106 is configured to surround discharge lamp 104 and can therefore be of cylindrical in shape in some cases, as shown in Figure 4. Such a configuration of the optical filter 106 may include a cylindrically shaped straight circular optical filter glass or it may include a film having the desired optical characteristics disposed on a cylindrical substrate. optically transparent straight circular, such as quartz, for example. Other configurations of optical filters surrounding discharge lamp 104 may also be possible, as described in greater detail below with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In still other cases, optical filter 106 may be omitted from apparatus 100. In particular, as noted above, while the inclusion of an optical filter may be beneficial in some of the apparatus described herein, it is not necessarily a requirement.

An advantage of having apparatus 100 configured to extend discharge lamp 104 beyond an outer surface of support structure 102 is that the ultraviolet light emitted by discharge lamp 104 and, if applicable, passes through the optical filter 106 surrounds an outer surface of the apparatus. In particular, the extension of the discharge lamp 104 beyond an outer surface of the support structure 102 innately causes the ultraviolet light emitted by the discharge lamp 104 and, if applicable, to pass through the filter optical 106 to surround the lamp housing, which comprises an outer surface of the apparatus. Depending on the height of the support structure 102 as well as the height of the discharge lamp assembly, the extension of the discharge lamp 104 beyond an outer surface of the support structure 102 can cause the ultraviolet light emitted by discharge lamp 104 also surrounds support structure 102. Also Furthermore, the extension of discharge lamp 104 beyond an outer surface of support structure 102 can, in some embodiments, cause ultraviolet light to propagate to a region that is between about 2 feet and about 4 feet from a floor on which the apparatus 100 is arranged, which, as described above, can be considered a high-touch zone in a room in need of particularly effective disinfection. In still other cases, although suspending discharge lamp 104 above support structure 102 may be beneficial in distributing light around apparatus 100, placement of discharge lamp 104 is not necessarily limited thereto. In particular, the discharge lamp 104 can be alternatively positioned on the support structure 102 or can be partially arranged with the support structure 102.

Included is a reflector system as shown in apparatus 100 of Figure 4. As noted above, a reflector system of apparatus 100 may include a reflector 118 attached to ozone filter 119 on top of optical filter 106. Although a Such a configuration may be advantageous to move the reflector 118 with the discharge lamp assembly (ie, in a vertical direction into and out of the support structure 102), the configuration of the apparatus is not limited thereto. In particular, alternatively, reflector 118 may be separate from the discharge lamp assembly in apparatus 100. This configuration may be advantageous in embodiments where it is desirable to move the reflector independently of the discharge lamp assembly, for example to optimize a redirection of ultraviolet light to a specific area. Other alternative configurations for apparatus 100 include that reflector 118 and ozone filter 119 have the same or similar diameter and are arranged vertically relative to each other as shown in Figure 5. In particular, Figure 5 illustrates a variation 115 to apparatus 100 in which the ozone filter 119 comprises an upper portion of the discharge lamp assembly with reflector 118 comprising the lower portion of the assembly. Such a configuration can advantageously allow a greater flow of air through the lamp housing and thus can provide a more efficient cooling system. In still other embodiments, the ozone filter 119 can be omitted from the apparatus 100 and replaced with an air filter and / or an optical filter.

In Figure 4, which is an example that is not part of the claimed invention, reflector 118 is shown to be circular. According to the invention, the reflector is specifically conical. In some embodiments, reflector 118 may include holes such that some of the ultraviolet light can propagate above apparatus 100. In either case, apparatus 100 may include, in some embodiments, one or more additional reflectors to redirect the light. ultraviolet light propagating from discharge lamp 104 and / or reflector 118. For example, in some embodiments, apparatus 100 may include a reflector disposed around the base of the discharge lamp assembly. In some cases, the additional reflector may be attached to the discharge lamp assembly so that it moves with it. In other embodiments, the additional reflector may be attached to the upper surface of the support structure 102 and the discharge lamp assembly may move through it. As with the shape of reflector 118, the additional reflector may, in some cases, be circular and even conical, but other shapes can be considered. Regardless of the configuration of reflector 118 or even its inclusion within apparatus 100, the base on which discharge lamp 104 is supported (eg, the top of fan 108) may include a reflector.

As noted above, other configurations of optical filters surrounding discharge lamp 104 can be considered for the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein and these other configurations are shown in Figures 6 and 7. It should be noted that the Variations of the apparatus illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 are used to emphasize different configurations of optical filters that can be considered for the apparatus described in this document. Although not shown, variations of the apparatus illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 may include any of the components shown and described in Figures 1-5. For example, the variations may include any component of the lamp assembly described with reference to Figure 4 as well as reflector 118. In addition, the size of ozone filter 119 in Figures 6 and 7 can be modified with respect to its representation and / or the ozone filter 119 may be omitted from the configurations of Figures 6 and 7, depending on the design specifications of an apparatus.

Figure 6 illustrates a variation 120 to apparatus 100 having a multi-facet optical filter 122 surrounding discharge lamp 104. Figure 6 illustrates multi-facet optical filter 122 positioned on support structure 102, but such arrangement it is exemplary. Alternatively the multi-faceted optical filter 122 may be suspended above the support structure 102 as shown and represented for the optical filter 106 in Figure 4. In still other embodiments, the multi-faceted optical filter 122 and the accompanying discharge bulb 104 may be partially disposed within support structure 102. In either case, a multi-faceted optical filter generally includes multiple optical filter panels fused together. Although the multi-faceted optical filter 122 is shown including six panels, it is not limited thereto. In particular, the multi-faceted optical filters considered for the apparatus described herein may include any plurality of optical filter panels. Furthermore, the optical filter panels can be made of optical filter glass material or they can be made of optically transparent substrates, such as quartz, with films having the desired optical characteristics being disposed thereon. In either case, the optical filter panels can include, in some embodiments, narrow strips of a different material (such as metal or plastic) for structural support. In some cases, one or more of the narrow support strips may partially or fully include a reflective material to aid in the redirection of the light emitted by the discharge lamp around which the strips are located.

In some embodiments, a multi-faceted optical filter may be cheaper than a straight circular cylindrical optical filter, particularly for embodiments where the optical filter is made of optical filter glass material. However, a disadvantage of employing a multi-faceted optical filter may be that ultraviolet light can be blocked in the areas where the plates are fused and / or in the areas where the support strips are arranged and therefore , the areas of a room in which the appliance is located may not be adequately disinfected. One way to overcome this deficiency is to move the multi-faceted optical filter during operation of the apparatus. In particular, the multi-faceted optical filter can be moved about a central axis such that ultraviolet light propagated to a region surrounding apparatus 100 during operation of the apparatus can collectively occupy the entire surrounding region. The multi-faceted optical filter may be rotated one full revolution or more during operation of the apparatus or it may be rotated less than one revolution during operation of an apparatus. In some embodiments, the multi-faceted optical filter can be moved a fraction of a revolution, where the fraction corresponds to the number of optical panels that the multi-faceted optical filter comprises. For example, in embodiments where the multi-faceted optical filter includes six optical panels, the multi-faceted optical filter can be moved 1/6 of a revolution.

In any case, some of the apparatus described in this document may include means for moving an optical filter about a central axis. Such means may include any mechanism known in the art for moving an object and, in further embodiments, may also include program instructions that are executable by CPU 32 such that the choice of timing to move the optical filter around an axis central can be automated. As noted above, while it may be advantageous in some embodiments to move an optical filter of the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatuses described herein about a central axis during operation of an apparatus, it is generally undesirable to move an ultraviolet discharge lamp. the same way out of concern about damaging the discharge lamp. Thus, in some embodiments, the variation 120 may include an intermediate barrier between the discharge lamp 104 and the multi-faceted optical filter 122. As described above, the intermediate barrier may be part of an envelope around the discharge lamp. discharge 104. In addition, the multi-faceted optical filter 122 may be configured to move independently of the intermediate barrier.

In still other embodiments, the multi-faceted optical filter 122 may not be configured to move about a central axis during operation of an apparatus. In particular, it is theorized that light propagated from neighboring optical filter panels of the multi-faceted optical filter 122 may converge at some point, and thus, ultraviolet light may surround an outer surface of apparatus 100 without moving the optical filter from multiple facets 122 around a central axis during operation of apparatus 100. In still other embodiments, discharge lamp 104 may include a configuration that counteracts potential blockage from fused areas of the optical filter panels and / or the support strips disposed on the multi-faceted optical filter 122. For example, the discharge lamp 104 may include a U-shaped bulb that has a spacing between the "bars" of the U that is greater than the width of the areas fused and / or the support strips. In any of these cases, the apparatus 100 may be referred to as being configured such that at least part of the ultraviolet light emitted by the discharge lamp 104 and passed through the multi-faceted optical filter 122 surrounds to an exterior surface of the appliance. Alternatively, it can be determined that the coverage gaps incurred by the fused areas of the optical filter panels and / or where the support strips are disposed on the multi-faceted optical filter 122 may not be significant and therefore therefore, movement of the multi-faceted optical filter 122 may not be necessary.

Figure 7 illustrates yet another configuration of an optical filter that can be used within the apparatus considered in this document. In particular, Figure 7 illustrates a variation 124 to apparatus 100 having an optical filter assembly 126 and reflector 128 surrounding discharge lamp 104. As shown in Figure 7, optical filter 126 and reflector 128 they may, in some embodiments, be approximately equal in size along the cylindrical side walls of the assembly. However, other configurations are possible, including those in which the optical filter 126 is larger than the portion of the reflector 128 along the side walls of the array and those in which the optical filter 126 is smaller than the portion of the reflector. reflector 128 along the side walls of the array. Thus, a more general description of an optical filter / reflector assembly that can be considered for the apparatus described herein may be an assembly that includes an optical filter and a reflector opposite the optical filter or vice versa.

As shown in Figure 7, reflector 128 may further comprise, in some cases, an upper portion of the assembly. However, other configurations can be considered for the top of the array, including having the optical filter 126 alternatively comprising the top of the array or having a combination of reflector 128 and optical filter 126 comprising the top of the array. It is further noted that the shape of the optical filter / reflector assembly is not restricted to being a straight circular cylinder as shown in Figure 7. Rather, one or more of the reflector 128 and the optical filter 126 may include multiple panels and, therefore, in some cases the assembly may be in the shape of a polygonal cylinder. In addition, or alternatively, the top of the assembly may be sloped or, more generally, it may have a variation in height. This configuration can be particularly advantageous when at least a portion of the top includes a reflector 128 such that ultraviolet light can be redirected downwardly to a desirable region within a room. In addition, or alternatively, such a configuration may be advantageous to prevent exhaust gases from a cooling system of the appliance from being directed directly towards a ceiling of the room in which it is located. located the appliance.

In either case, the optical filter / reflector assembly of Figure 7 may be effective in targeting a specific area within a room that is adjacent to the apparatus, such as an area that has a high concentration of objects. In some embodiments, the reflector / optical filter assembly may be configured to move. For example, in some cases, the reflector / optical filter assembly may be configured to oscillate. Such a configuration can be advantageous when a given target area is greater than the extent to which ultraviolet light can effectively emit the optical filter / reflector assembly when stationary. In other embodiments, the reflector / optical filter assembly may be configured to rotate. In either case, the movement of the optical filter / reflector assembly can be based, in some embodiments, on the characteristics of a room in which the apparatus 100 is located. For example, if a relatively large number of objects within a room are located. found in the same general area, it may be beneficial to position the reflector / optical filter assembly to direct the light to that specific area compared to other areas of the room.

Similar to apparatus 20 described with reference to Figures 1 and 2a-2c, apparatus 100 may include or may be configured to access a database listing characteristics of one or more rooms and / or apparatus 100 may include a system 70 for collecting and / or generating data related to the characteristics of a room. Any system known in the art can be used to generate, collect and / or analyze characteristics of a room. Examples include dosimeters, spatial sensors, and / or photo recognition systems. In some cases, apparatus 100 may further include CPU 32 to retrieve data, determine a position of the optical filter / reflector assembly based on the data, and transmit the determined position to user interface 34 and / or send a command. in accordance with the determined position to a means within apparatus 100 for automatically moving the optical filter / reflector assembly.

In addition to or as an alternative to the features described above, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described herein may include, in some embodiments, multiple discharge lamps. These apparatuses may include optical filters and / or reflection systems for each discharge lamp in accordance with the descriptions of such features provided above. In some embodiments, an apparatus may include a discharge lamp with an optical filter configured to attenuate a majority of the visible light emitted therefrom and further include a discharge lamp without an optical filter positioned close to it. Such a configuration may be advantageous to alternate the use of discharge lamps depending on whether or not it is desired to attenuate visible light during operation of the apparatus. In some cases, some or all of the multiple discharge lamps may be operated by the same supply circuit and / or by the same firing circuit. In other embodiments, an apparatus may include a different power circuit and / or a different firing circuit for each discharge lamp. In any event, it is contemplated herein that multiple appliances, each of which has one or more discharge lamps, may be configured to work in communication with each other (ie, form a system) to disinfect a room. Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary system 130 that includes multiple ultraviolet discharge lamp fixtures 132 and 142, respectively including discharge lamp assemblies 134 and 144 and sensors 136 and 146. The dotted line between fixtures 132 and 142 indicates that the units may be configured to communicate with each other and / or may be connected through a central processing unit.

In either case, an appliance having multiple discharge lamps or a system having multiple discharge lamp appliances may be configured to operate the discharge lamps at the same time, in succession, or in different appliance / system operations. Operating multiple discharge lamps at the same time can advantageously reduce the time required to treat an area. To further minimize the time required to treat an area while avoiding "overdosing" an area with too much UV light, a device / system may be configured to modify the operating parameters of the device / system, such as intensity or frequency. of pulses from each lamp, based on the characteristics of the room in which the apparatus / system is located or based on the ultraviolet light reflected by a target object. This may involve a database or one or more sensors, and sometimes a sensor for each discharge lamp unit, to determine the characteristics of a room or the amount or intensity of ultraviolet light reflected by a target object. In some cases, an apparatus / system may include ultrasonic, infrared, or other sensors to map a room in which the apparatus / system is located and, in some embodiments, may be configured to map a room in relation to each lamp unit. download. This mapping adaptation could also be included in a device that includes a single discharge lamp that is not necessarily part of a multi-device system.

In either case, a CPU of an apparatus / system may be configured to analyze the one or more maps and determine the dose of ultraviolet light necessary to achieve a minimum dose on all target surfaces. In addition, a CPU of a multi-lamp apparatus / system may be configured to allocate power to each discharge lamp unit to optimize the total treatment time for a room. This could also be achieved by using feedback from sensors used to measure reflected ultraviolet light. Information from all sensors (e.g. emitted UV light, room size / shape, and position of all bulb units) could be input into an equation or algorithm that determines a total run time for each bulb unit. This would allow energy to be diverted to the units to optimize the speed of decontamination in an area. For example, in a system configuration, you can use two units to treat different sections of an area or even different rooms. When the sensors detect that one of the sections has received the required dose of ultraviolet light, the corresponding unit could be turned off. The remaining unit could, in some embodiments, receive the diverted energy and be able to pulse at a higher frequency if desired. The sensor system could be sophisticated enough to detect whether or not there was a common space between the different sections and further designate the second unit to treat the common space and therefore exclude that area from the dose calculations for the first unit. . Furthermore, the operating time could be optimized by modifying the directionality of the emitted ultraviolet light for each bulb unit through changes in the height and / or orientation of the reflector.

In some embodiments, an apparatus or system could be created that moves within a room to provide multiple foci for scattering ultraviolet light. In such cases, information obtained by sensing the room (by means of ultrasonic or infrared sensors or reflected ultraviolet light) could be used to guide a moving apparatus / system through a room. An apparatus / system could be moved using motorized wheels and could have sensors to maneuver around obstacles. An apparatus / system could "learn" a room by detecting in real time as it moved, mapping the dose received to each surface as it moved. An apparatus / system could also be manually pushed through a room by a user while the apparatus / system maps the room and then a CPU of the apparatus / system could analyze the map and determine the correct dose at each position for operation of the apparatus. /system. The map and dose requirements could be used to modify the speed at which the mobile device / system would pass over different surfaces.

As background examples that are not embodiments of the claimed invention, in Figures 9-11, systems are provided for controlling the operation of germicidal devices and, more specifically, systems that determine operating parameters and disinfection schedules for germicidal devices. In particular, Figure 9 depicts a system that includes one or more disinfection sources and a processing subsystem having program instructions executable by a processor to determine operating parameters and disinfection programs for the one or more disinfection sources. In addition, Figure 10 depicts a flow chart that roughly describes a method for which the processor-executable program instructions of the system depicted in Figure 9 may be configured. In addition, Figure 11 depicts a flow chart that describes roughly another method than program instructions executable by a processor of the system depicted in Figure 9 may be configured to perform. In general, the systems and processes described with reference to Figures 9-11 can be applicable to any system, including a source of disinfection. The term "source of disinfection" as used herein refers to a collection of one or more components used to generate and disperse a germicidal agent and, if applicable, includes any additional components used to effect the generation or dispersal. germicidal agent. In some embodiments, a device or apparatus may include a single set of components to generate a germicide. In such cases, the components associated with the generation of the germicide may be referred to as a source of disinfection or, alternatively, the device or apparatus as a whole may be referred to as a source of disinfection. In other embodiments, a device or apparatus may include multiple sources of disinfection (ie, multiple sets of components to generate multiple sources of one or more germicides).

In any event, the term "germicidal" as used herein refers to an agent for inactivating or killing microorganisms, particularly disease-bearing and / or disease-producing microorganisms (also known as germs). The term "kill", as used in this document, means to cause the death of an organism. Instead, the term "deactivate", as used in this document, means rendering an organism incapable of reproducing without killing it. Thus, a germicide that is configured to inactivate a microorganism refers to an agent that renders a microorganism unable to reproduce, but leaves the organism alive. In general, the one or more disinfection sources considered for the systems and processes described in Figures 9-11 may be configured to generate a germicide in the form of liquid, vapor, gas, plasma, ultraviolet light, and / or spectrum light. High Intensity Narrow (HINS). Thus, the one or more sources of disinfection considered or the systems and processes described in Figures 9-11 may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the discharge lamp apparatus described above with reference to Figures 1-8. . Examples of sources of disinfection that may be configured to disperse liquid, vapor, gaseous, or plasma germicides include, but are not necessarily limited to, liquid sprays, nebulizers, plasma torches, and fogging systems including systems wet and dry fogging. As used herein, the term "mist" refers to a suspension of minute globules of a liquid in a gas. For use herein, a germicidal mist is classified as a liquid germicide.

In some embodiments, a liquid, vapor, gaseous, or plasma germicide can impart its inactivating or killing functionality by the manner in which it is used. For example, boiling water, steam, and hot air are often effective sterilizing agents because of the temperature at which they are used. Furthermore, the germicidal effectiveness of some germicides in plasma form is mainly due to the presence and activity of the charged particles that make up the plasma rather than to the molecular composition of the charged particles. As used herein, the phrase "molecularly configured" refers to the elemental composition of a substance (ie, the number and type of atoms that make up a substance) to impart the function indicated after the phrase. In some cases, the functionality of a liquid germicide, in vapor form, gaseous or in form of plasma to deactivate and / or kill a microorganism can be attributed to the elements that constitute the germicide and, therefore, said germicides can be referred to as being molecularly configured to deactivate and / or kill microorganisms.

An example of a gaseous germicide that is molecularly configured to kill microorganisms is ozone. Examples of germicides in plasma form that are molecularly configured to inactivate or kill microorganisms are those that employ or generate reactive oxygen species. Examples of vapor and liquid germicides that are molecularly configured to inactivate or kill microorganisms include vapor and liquid disinfection solutions having a primary disinfection agent such as, but not limited to, bleach, hydrogen peroxide , chlorine, alcohol, quaternary ammonium compounds or ozone. In either of these cases, the liquid and vapor germicides can be aqueous or non-aqueous. It should be noted that the one or more sources of disinfection considered or the systems and processes described in Figures 9-11 may include those that are configured to impart inactivation or kill functionality by the manner in which the germicide is used, as well as by a molecular configuration of the germicide.

Going to Figure 9, the system 150 is shown which includes the one or more disinfection sources 160 and optionally the one or more disinfection sources 162 and 164. In particular, the dotted lines bordering the one or more sources Disinfection sources 162 and 164 denote that they are optional features of system 150. In general, system 150 may include any number of sources of disinfection, including only one source of disinfection or any plurality of sources of disinfection. In addition, system 150 can include any number of devices or appliances that include one or more sources of disinfection. In particular, system 150 may, in some cases, include a single disinfection device or apparatus having one or more sources of disinfection. In other embodiments, system 150 may include multiple disinfection devices or appliances, each having one or more sources of disinfection as shown in Figure 9.

In either case, the one or more sources of disinfection within system 150 may be permanently located within a room or may be portable. In embodiments where the system 150 includes multiple sources of disinfection, not all sources of disinfection may be permanently located within a room and the others may be portable. In still other instances where the system 150 includes multiple sources of disinfection, all of the sources of disinfection may be permanently located within a room or they may all be portable. Furthermore, as indicated above, the one or more disinfection sources considered for the systems and processes described in Figures 9-11 may be configured to generate a germicide in the form of liquid, vapor, gas, plasma, ultraviolet light and / or high intensity narrow spectrum light (HINS). It should be noted that in embodiments where the system 150 includes multiple sources of disinfection, the one or more sources of disinfection can be any combination of sources configured to generate a germicide in the form of liquid, vapor, gas, plasma, ultraviolet light, and / or high intensity narrow spectrum light (HINS) or may include exclusively the same type of disinfection source.

As discussed in greater detail below, the processes outlined in Figures 10 and 11 for determining operating parameters and disinfection schedules for one or more disinfection sources 160 and optionally for one or more disinfection sources 162 and 164 are based on characteristics of a room in which the system 150 is located. Consequently, the one or more sources of disinfection of the system 150, as well as the one or more devices and the one or more devices that comprise the one or more More sources of disinfection, can be configured particularly for disinfection of rooms. More specifically, the one or more sources of disinfection of the system 150, as well as the one or more devices and the one or more apparatus comprising the one or more sources of disinfection, may be configured to distribute a germicidal agent widely, such that a room can be treated. As used herein, the term "room disinfection" refers to the cleaning of a delimited area that is suitable for human occupation to deactivate, destroy, or prevent the growth of disease-carrying microorganisms in the environment. area. It should be noted that the room disinfection devices and apparatus described in this document, particularly those considered for the systems and processes described with reference to Figures 9-11, can come in a variety of configurations, including floor-standing, wall-mounted. and the ceiling ones.

As further shown in Figure 9, system 150 includes a processing subsystem 152 having a processor 156 and program instructions 154 that are executable by processor 156. As described in greater detail below with reference to Figures 10 and 11, program instructions 154 may be configured to determine operating parameters and / or disinfection schedules for the disinfection sources that comprise the system 150 (eg, one or more disinfection sources 160 and, if applicable , one or more sources of disinfection 162 and 164). The term "program instructions", as used in this document, can generally refer to commands within a program that are configured to perform a particular function, such as receiving input, recording signal receptions, determining when to allow and / or whether or not to allow a device to start an operation, and to send signals to start and / or end the operation of a device. Program instructions can be implemented in any of a number of ways, including procedure-based techniques, component-based techniques, and / or object-oriented techniques, among others. For example, program instructions can be implemented using ActiveX controls, C ++ objects, JavaBeans, Microsoft Foundation Classes ("MFC"), or other technologies or methodologies, as desired. Program instructions that implement the processes described in this document can be transmitted through carrier media, such as a wire, cable, or wireless transmission link.

In some embodiments, the processing subsystem 152 may be a single processing unit that is connected to each of the one or more sources of disinfection in the system 150 and thus may be considered a central processing unit, particularly when the system 150 includes multiple sources of disinfection. In such cases, the processing subsystem 152 may, in some embodiments, be an entity other than the one or more devices or the one or more appliances that comprise the one or more sources of disinfection of the system 150 as shown in Figure 9. In still other cases, the processing subsystem 152 may be disposed within a device or apparatus comprising the one or more sources of disinfection of the system 150. In still other embodiments, the processing subsystem 152 may include multiple processors, each disposed one of them in a different device or apparatus comprising the one or more sources of disinfection of the system 150. In such cases, the processing subsystem 152 may be at least partially distributed among devices or apparatus that comprise the multiple sources of disinfection. In some embodiments, each device or apparatus comprising one or more sources of system disinfection 150 may include a processor and program instructions 154.

Turning to Figure 10, a flow chart is provided that roughly describes processes for determining one or more operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection of a germicidal system based on characteristics of a room in which the cells are located. one or more sources of disinfection. As shown in block 170 of Figure 10, the method includes receiving data related to the characteristics of a room in which one or more sources of disinfection are located. This process may include accessing a database comprising the data as denoted in block 172 and / or receiving data from one or more sensors located within the room that generate the data as denoted in block 174. In the In the latter case, the one or more sensors may, in some embodiments, be independent of the one or more sources of disinfection and the processing subsystem of the germicidal system. In other cases, one or more of the sensors may be arranged within one or more of the sources of disinfection or within the processing subsystem of the germicidal system if the latter is different from the one or more sources of disinfection.

In general, the phrase "characteristics of a room" as used in this document refers to physical attributes as well as non-physical attributes of a room. Non-physical attributes of a room include, but are not necessarily limited to, identifiers used to refer to a room (e.g., room number and / or room name) and occupancy information related to a room (eg, infection information for a patient who previously occupied the room or a patient who is scheduled to occupy the room). The physical attributes of a room include, but are not necessarily limited to, the size and / or dimensions of the room and / or the number, size, distances, locations, reflectance, and / or identification or prioritization of surfaces and / or objects located inside the room. In some cases, a physical attribute of a room may be the identification (i.e. detection through sample analysis) of one or more pathological organisms and, sometimes, in addition, the number or concentration of said one or more organisms. in the room, in a particular region of the room, or on a particular surface of the room. The phrase "operating parameter of a disinfection source", as used in this document, refers to any parameter that may affect the operation of a disinfection source, including, but not limited to, the execution time of a disinfection source. source of disinfection, the position of a source of disinfection, the orientation of the components comprising a source of disinfection, germicide dosage parameters for the source of disinfection, and / or energy supplied to a source of disinfection.

As further shown at block 180 of Figure 10, the method further includes determining one or more individual operating parameters for the one or more sources of disinfection based on the received data regarding the characteristics of the room. In general, there are several ways to carry out such a process. In particular, the process may involve, in some embodiments, accessing a database comprising a list of room attributes and one or more corresponding predetermined operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection. For example, a non-physical attribute of a room, such as a room number, a room name, or occupancy information related to the room, can be entered into a user interface of a germicidal system and said data input you can initiate access to the aforementioned database to determine one or more operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection.

In particular, a pre-assigned room identifier (such as "103" or "Operating Room") can be entered into a user interface (for example, by keyboard input or by scanning a barcode) and one or more operating parameters. for one or more sources of disinfection located in said room can be determined from a database that broadly describes said correlative information. Such an embodiment may be particularly applicable for a germicidal system that includes one or more portable disinfection devices and that are therefore used within a plurality of different rooms. Another example includes entering occupancy information related to a room (eg, infection information for a patient who previously occupied the room or a patient who is scheduled to occupy the room) into a user interface. From this information, one or more operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection can be determined. An embodiment like this may be particularly applicable when a patient who previously occupied a room was diagnosed and / or treated for a spore infection. specific or when a patient is arriving who is known to have a low immune system (such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)). In these cases, the operating parameter determined for the one or more sources of disinfection may be based on the condition of the patient.

In some cases, the aforementioned process can be expanded by taking into account the number and / or type of sources or disinfection devices located in the room. In particular, in addition to entering a non-physical attribute of a room, such as a room number, a room name or occupancy information related to the room, in a user interface, it can be entered in the user interface. the number and / or type of disinfection sources or devices arranged in the room to determine one or more operating parameters of one or more disinfection sources. In such cases, the database accessed after such data entry may include one or more additional fields related to numbers and / or types of disinfection sources that may be applicable for each room attribute listed and a different set. corresponding one or more operating parameters for each disinfection source. In some cases, particular sources of disinfection can be selected for use based on the characteristics of a room. It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are not only applicable for germicidal systems that exclusively have one or more portable disinfection devices, but are also applicable for germicidal systems that have one or more portable disinfection devices in combination with fixedly arranged disinfection sources. inside a room. In the latter of such embodiments, the operating parameters described in the database may, in some cases, be preset based on known positions of the disinfection sources fixedly arranged in a room.

It should be noted that accessing a database to determine one or more operating parameters of one or more sources of disinfection is not limited to the non-physical attributes of a room (such as a room identifier or occupancy information for the room). room). In particular, a database may additionally or alternatively include a list of values or ranges for one or more physical attributes (such as the size and / or dimensions of the room and / or the number, size, distances, locations, reflectance and / or identification or prioritization of surfaces and / or objects located within the room) and the one or more corresponding predetermined operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection that may be located in a room. Said embodiment can also be expanded taking into account the number and / or type of disinfection sources or devices located in the room to determine one or more operating parameters of the one or more disinfection sources.

In either case, the physical attributes can be entered through a user interface or they can be obtained through one or more sensors within a room. An example of an embodiment that may be applicable for the aforementioned case is when a room size is obtained and an accessible database includes different execution times, different germicide discharge rates and / or different energy levels to supply to disinfection sources for different room sizes or room size ranges. In particular, relatively large rooms will likely need longer and / or more efficient germicide exposure compared to smaller rooms and therefore it is contemplated that it would be advantageous to establish run times, germicide discharge rates, and / or or energy levels to be supplied to the disinfection sources based on the size of a room. Other correlations of room characteristics to disinfection source operating parameters can be contemplated for a database and therefore the above-mentioned example should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure provided herein.

An alternative way to determine one or more operating parameters of one or more disinfection sources based on the characteristics of a room is to use an algorithm that correlates these variables. In some embodiments, the algorithm may rely solely on the physical characteristics of a room to determine one or more operating parameters of one or more sources of disinfection. In other cases, the algorithm may be based on a combination of physical and non-physical characteristics of a room to determine one or more operating parameters of one or more sources of disinfection. In any embodiment, particular sources of disinfection can be selected for use based on the characteristics of a room, particularly through the use of the algorithm, in addition to or alternatively to determining the operating parameters of one or more sources of disinfection. As with the database embodiments noted above, the algorithm may, in some embodiments, be based on the number and / or type of disinfection devices located in the room in addition to the characteristics of the room. Although not necessarily limited thereto, it may be advantageous to employ an algorithm-based process when multiple room characteristics affect the determination of one or more operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection. Additionally, or alternatively, it may be advantageous to employ an algorithm-based process when multiple operating parameters are to be determined and / or when individual operating parameters are to be determined for multiple sources of disinfection. In particular, the scope of correlated variables becomes more complex as more variables are involved, and therefore an algorithm may be more suitable than a database in these cases.

In some cases, the room characteristic data received in block 170 of Figure 10 can be used to identify locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces within the room as denoted in blocks 176 and 178. In these cases , the process of determining the operating parameters for one or more Sanitizing sources denoted at block 180 may be based on the identified locations, regions, objects, or surfaces from block 176 or block 178 (ie, by means of a database or algorithm). As indicated in block 176, the characteristic data of the room received in block 170 can be used, in some embodiments, to identify locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces within the room and priority rankings can be assigned ( for example, numbers or letters) to each of the identified locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces according to a predefined association of priority rankings with the identified locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces (for example, by means of database or algorithm). In some cases, the priority ratings for at least some of the surfaces may be based on an amount of time since your last disinfection. It should be noted that the assignment of priority rankings in block 176 is a way of incorporating prioritization to locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces within a room. Alternatively, priority rankings can be preassigned to locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces. In either case, priority rankings can include any type of characters to denote hierarchical importance between locations, regions, objects, and surfaces within a room, including, but not limited to, numbers, letters, and words such as "tall" and "under". "

As shown in Figure 10, the priority characters assigned in block 176 can be used, in some embodiments, to identify target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces within a room, as denoted by the arrows between the blocks 176 and 178. It is noted, however, that the dotted lines bordering blocks 176 and 178 denote that the processes are optional. Thus, in some embodiments, block 176 can be omitted from the process and the room characteristic data received at block 170 can be used directly to identify target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces within the room at the time. block 178 (for example, by means of a database or an algorithm). In other cases, block 178 can be omitted and the locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces identified in block 176 can be used to determine one or more individual operating parameters in block 180. In still other embodiments, both blocks 176 and 178 can be omitted from the method and therefore the process outlined in Figure 10 may, in some cases, continue to block 180 directly from block 170. It should be noted that in cases where they are identified target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces within a room, the process of block 180 determines one or more operating parameters for each disinfection source specific to its one or more target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces.

The process of identifying target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces in block 178 can be implemented in a variety of ways and generally can depend on the type of sensor used to scan a room for those targets. For example, in some cases, targets can be identified by detecting the furthest distance to each disinfection source (i.e. using a distance sensor), i.e. the farthest distance to an object between fixtures or the Farthest distance to a source of disinfection if no other device is detected in the vicinity. In other embodiments, targets can be identified by detecting the shortest distance to each source of disinfection or by detecting surfaces at a specific distance from each source of disinfection. In alternative cases, a sensor can be used to evaluate the dimensions of objects and / or surfaces located within a room and, from this data, the sensor and / or the processing subsystem of the germicidal system can determine what the object is. and / or the surface (such as a bed, a nightstand or an IV pole in a hospital room).

In some of these embodiments, targets can be selected based on confirmed objects or surfaces. For example, in some cases, target regions can be identified based on the relatively high number of objects or surfaces in the region. In other embodiments, a target region can be identified based on one or more high priority objects and / or surfaces found in the region. Similarly, a target location, object, or surface can be identified based on prioritizing locations, objects, and / or surfaces within the room. In some cases, identifying a target location, region, object, or surface may include identifying subsets of multiple locations, regions, objects, or surfaces respectively located near each source of disinfection and targeting a location, region, object, or surface within each subset. The designation process can be based on several different qualifiers, including, but not limited to, prioritization of locations, regions, objects or surfaces and / or distance to each source of disinfection.

There are several ways to create a database and / or an algorithm to determine one or more operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection. Some examples of ways are denoted in blocks 184 and 186 in Figure 10. In particular, block 184 specifies the adaptation of the one or more individual operating parameters to mainly disinfect surfaces of furniture and / or equipment located within the room. against floor, wall and ceiling surfaces of the room. In some of these cases, the process may further include the determination of one or more secondary operating parameters to primarily disinfect the floor, walls and / or ceiling of the room after the furniture and / or equipment have been disinfected. for a predetermined period of time. In general, furniture and equipment within a room are more likely to carry germs compared to the room's floors, walls, and ceiling, and therefore it may be advantageous to adapt a disinfection process to primarily disinfect those surfaces. In particular, invoking this precedence for a disinfection schedule may induce a shorter and / or more efficient disinfection process or at least increase the probability that an adequate amount of disinfection has occurred if a disinfection process is interrupted soon.

As noted above, the region between about 2 feet and about 4 feet from the floor of a room is considered a "high touch" region of a room since frequently used objects are generally placed in that region. . Because this region is considered a high-contact zone, this is generally considered to be the area most likely to come into contact with germs, and some studies indicate that the high-contact zone may be the area with the highest concentration. of germs. For such reasons, it may be advantageous to tailor one or more individual operating parameters to primarily disinfect furniture and / or equipment surfaces that are in a region of a room located between about 2 feet and about 4 feet from a floor. of the room. Furthermore, or alternatively, it may be advantageous to adapt one or more individual operating parameters between different furniture and / or equipment or even between different furniture and / or equipment components. For example, a cabinet handle may require a higher and / or longer dosage of a germicidal agent compared to a vertical cabinet face. Various other precedents among furniture, equipment and components can also be considered to adapt the operating parameters of the disinfection sources, depending on the disinfection needs of the room being treated.

As shown at block 186 in Figure 10, the process at block 180 may, in some embodiments, include adapting one or more individual operating parameters to primarily disinfect surfaces that have the highest priority ratings, which may have been assigned with reference to block 176 or they may have been pre-assigned to locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces within a room. Similar to the process in block 184, the process in block 186 that invokes this precedence to a sanitization schedule can instigate a shorter and / or more efficient sanitization process or at least increase the probability that an adequate quantity has been produced. disinfection if a disinfection process is interrupted soon. In some of these cases, the method may include determining one or more secondary operating parameters to primarily disinfect the surfaces that have a lower priority rating after the surfaces that have the higher priority rating have been disinfected for a period of time. predetermined time. Blocks 184 and 186 are drawn with dotted lines in Figure 10, denoting that they are optional. In particular, many other ways can be used to tailor one or more operating parameters of one or more sources of disinfection based on the characteristic data of the room, and therefore the scope of the disclosure provided in this document should not be necessarily limited to the representation of Figure 10.

As further shown in Figure 10, the process may optionally include a block 182 for determining a program of individual operating parameters for one or more sources of disinfection. In this context, the term "program" refers to a series of designations of operating parameters that will be made in succession for one or more sources of disinfection. As discussed in reference to the options for performing the block 180 process, the determination of a program of operating parameters may be based on disinfecting primarily furniture and equipment in a room and / or may be based on pre-assigned prioritization of locations, regions, objects and / or surfaces within a room. You can also use other ways to adapt the program.

Regardless of how the one or more operating parameters of the one or more sources of disinfection are determined, the process of Figure 10 may include, in some embodiments, a block 188 for sending information to the one or more sources. disinfection according to the one or more individual operating parameters. The information may include run time (s) for the one or more disinfection sources, a command to adjust a germicide discharge rate from the one or more disinfection sources, and / or a power level amount to operate the one or more. or more sources of disinfection. In still other embodiments, specific amounts of energy can be sent to the one or more sources of disinfection in accordance with the determination process performed with reference to block 180. In some cases, the information sent to the one or more sources of disinfection may be a position in which to place the source of disinfection within the room and / or the orientation (s) of the one or more components that comprise the source of disinfection. In such cases, the disinfection devices comprising the one or more sources of disinfection may be configured to move and / or may be capable of moving one or more of their components in such a way that they can comply with the information received. Alternatively, the one or more operating parameters determined at block 180 can be displayed on a user interface and a user of the germicidal system can invoke the one or more operating parameters.

The embodiments of the method broadly described in Figure 10 which are considered to have particular application for the disinfection of rooms are set out below in detail. Although such embodiments are described in detail and are considered further enhancements, the specific disclosure of such embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure described above in connection with Figure 10.

A system that is considered to have a particular application for room disinfection includes a source of disinfection, as well as a processing subsystem comprising a processor and program instructions that are executable by the processor to receive data related to the physical attributes of a room in which the source of disinfection is located. This program instruction can be to access a database comprising the data and / or receive data from one or more sensors of the system that generate the data. In either case, the processing subsystem includes program instructions executable by a processor to determine, based on the received data, a location within the room to place the source of disinfection and / or an orientation of a component comprising the source of disinfection. In some cases, the program instructions are further to determine, based on the data, a program of locations within the room to place the source of disinfection and / or a program of orientations of one or more components that comprises the source of disinfection. In some embodiments, the source of disinfection may be one of a plurality of sources of disinfection that the system comprises. In these cases, the system program instructions can be executable by a processor to determine locations within the room to place each of the plurality of disinfection sources and / or determine the orientations of one or more components of each of the plurality of sources of disinfection.

The one or more sources of disinfection in the aforementioned system may include one or more sources of liquid, gas, vapor, plasma, ultraviolet light and / or high intensity narrow spectrum light (HINS) disinfection. Furthermore, the one or more components of the one or more disinfection sources that can be adjusted may include any mobile component of the one or more disinfection sources. Examples of moving components of a light-based disinfection source may include, but are not limited to, an optical filter comprising the disinfection source or any component of a reflector system comprising the disinfection source, such as those described for apparatus. UV discharge lamp units shown in Figures 1-8. In some embodiments, a source of disinfection may be configured to move relative to a device or apparatus comprising the one or more sources of disinfection. An example of a possible configuration for a mobile disinfection source may be similar to a mobile light that has a 180 degree movement capability or even a nearly 360 degree movement capability. Other mobile disinfection source configurations can be considered. For example, a source of disinfection may be configured to move along a track in some cases. In other embodiments, a complete device or apparatus comprising a source of disinfection may be configured to move, particularly to a different location within a room.

In any case, in embodiments in which the source of disinfection is configured to move by itself and / or move one or more of its components, the processing subsystem may further include program instructions that are executable by a processor to send information to the source of disinfection to position itself in the determined location and / or position the component in the determined orientation. In still other embodiments, the determined location and / or the determined orientation of the components can be displayed on a user interface and a user of the germicidal system can invoke the one or more operating parameters. In any event, a source of disinfection that is considered to be particularly suitable for the aforementioned method is a source of ultraviolet light disinfection having a repositionable reflector. However, disclosure should not be construed in any way as necessarily limiting the scope of the systems and / or methods described in this document. In any case, the aforementioned system can have any of the configurations indicated above with reference to Figures 9 and 10. In this way, the system is not necessarily limited to receiving data related to the physical attributes of a room. In particular, the system can also be configured to receive non-physical attributes of a room. In addition, the system can include program instructions to determine any operating parameters of a disinfection source based on the characteristics of a room. In particular, the aforementioned system is not necessarily limited to determining a location within the room for placing a disinfection source and / or an orientation of a component comprising the disinfection source.

Another system that is considered to have particular application for room disinfection includes multiple sources of disinfection and a processing subsystem comprising one or more processors and program instructions executable by the one or more processors to receive data related to the characteristics of a room in which the multiple sources of disinfection are located. Furthermore, the program instructions serve to determine, based on the data, one or more individual operating parameters for the multiple sources of disinfection. In particular, the one or more individual operating parameters are specific to each of the disinfection sources. The one or more individual operating parameters may include run times of the disinfection sources, positions or speed of the disinfection sources located within the room, orientation of the components comprising the disinfection sources, germicide discharge rates of the sources of disinfection and / or energy supplied to the sources of disinfection. In some cases, the program instructions further serve to determine, based on the data, a program of individual operating parameters for each of the multiple sources of disinfection based on the characteristics of the room. In general, multiple sources of disinfection may include liquid, gas, vapor, plasma, ultraviolet light, and / or high intensity narrow spectrum light (HINS) disinfection sources. The multiple sources of disinfection may include the same type of source of disinfection or they may include a combination of sources of disinfection, at least some of which are different from each other. Furthermore, the aforementioned system may have any of the configurations indicated above with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

A germicidal system that is considered to be particularly suitable for the aforementioned system is a light disinfection system that has a plurality of light disinfection sources and further energy distribution means for distributing individual energy requirements to each. of the light disinfection sources as determined by the processing subsystem. As an alternative to the energy distribution means, each of the disinfection sources may include an energy control circuit. In In these cases, the processing subsystem may include program instructions executable by a processor to send independent signals to the power control circuits to establish the amount of power used to generate the light for each source of disinfection. In any case, the different sources of light disinfection can be distributed among different devices, they can be arranged in the same device or they can be a combination thereof. Although the above-mentioned light disinfection system is considered to be particularly suitable for disinfection of rooms where multiple sources of disinfection are used, it should not be construed in any way that the disclosure thereof necessarily limits the scope of the systems and / or methods described in this document. In particular, it is stated that other types of germicidal disinfection sources can be used in a similar system and / or that a system can be configured with various operating parameters other than power.

As described in greater detail below with reference to Figure 11, the systems may, in some embodiments, be configured to make the sources of disinfection work collaboratively with each other, particularly with regard to locations, regions, objects. and / or surfaces whose disinfection is aimed at the sources of disinfection. In some cases, the collaborative effort may involve different devices communicating with each other. In particular, systems including disinfection sources arranged on different appliances may be configured in such a way that at least some of the appliances communicate with each other, particularly with regard to their relative presence / location and / or location. , region, object or surface whose disinfection is aimed at its one or more sources of disinfection. More specifically, in some cases, the apparatuses may be configured to detect each other by means of a detection system, such as, but not limited to, ultrasonic detection or infrared detection. In other embodiments, at least one apparatus may include a processor and program instructions executable by a processor to send information related to its location or to a target location, region, object, or surface of its source of disinfection. In this way, the germicidal devices of the systems described herein may be configured to know or be able to determine the presence or locations of other germicidal devices in a room.

In cases where one apparatus is configured to send information related to the target location, region, object, or surface of its source of disinfection, another apparatus may include a processor and program instructions executable by a processor to receive the information and compare. the information received with a target location, region, object or surface from its source of disinfection. However, additionally or alternatively, the collaborative effort may involve comparing data in a central processing unit relating to designated target locations, regions, objects, or surfaces from a plurality of sources of disinfection. In any scenario, the systems can be configured to perform one or more corrective actions after detecting that two or more locations, objects or surfaces are at a predetermined distance from each other or after detecting that two or more regions overlap as described with more detail below in reference to Figure 11. In addition, the system can be configured to record areas that have been disinfected by the appliances during the course of a disinfection process in such a way that the priority of those areas is eliminated or not they are considered for disinfection for later stages of the disinfection process.

Turning to Figure 11, a flow chart is shown that roughly describes a method of the system depicted in Figure 9 that program instructions executable by a processor may be configured to perform. In particular, Figure 11 outlines a method for sharing information related to designated target locations, regions, objects, or surfaces from multiple sources of disinfection and executing changes to the target locations, regions, objects, or surfaces and / or on the targets. operating parameters of one or more of the disinfection sources after detecting two or more locations, objects or surfaces are within a predetermined distance from each other or after detecting that two or more regions overlap. As shown in blocks 190 and 192 in Figure 11, the method includes discerning, for each of a plurality of disinfection sources, a target location, region, object, or surface within a room in which the plurality are located. sources of disinfection. It should be noted that the term "discern" as used in this document includes determining / identifying target locations, regions, objects or surfaces based on the characteristic data of the room as described with reference to block 178 in Figure 10, but it also includes receiving specific locations, regions, objects or surfaces, for example by user input, barcode scanning, or access to a database. In either case, at blocks 194 and 196, determinations are made as to whether or not two or more target locations, objects, or surfaces are within a predetermined distance from each other or whether or not two or more target regions overlap. The default distance can be any predetermined value, and in some cases it can be a threshold to indicate whether or not the target locations, objects, and surfaces are the same.

In cases where the determination at block 194 or at block 196 is "no", the method goes to block 198 to continue preparing the system for a disinfection process based on locations, regions, objects, or Identified target surfaces for sources of disinfection. In some cases, the process at block 198 may include determining one or more individual operating parameters for each of the sources of disinfection, as described with reference to Figure 10. In alternative embodiments, however, this process may have been performed prior to blocks 194 and 196. In some cases, the block 198 process may include sending information to disinfection sources according to individual operating parameters determined for each of the disinfection sources, as described in reference to block 188 in Figure 10. In alternative embodiments, the process in block 198 may include one or more parameters of operating parameters are displayed on a user interface and a user of the germicidal system can invoke the one or more operating parameters.

In cases where the determination at block 194 or at block 196 is "yes", the method continues to block 200 to execute one or more corrective actions, particularly to change a scheduled disinfection process of at least one of the multiple sources of disinfection. Blocks 202 and 204 are provided to give examples of corrective actions that can be taken, but other corrective actions can be considered. It should be noted that blocks 202 and 204 can be performed both for block 200 or only one of blocks 202 and 204 can be performed for block 200. As shown in block 202, a corrective action can be to identify a location, Different target region, object, or surface for at least one of the disinfection sources corresponding to the two or more detected target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces. Another corrective action may be to modify an operating parameter of at least one of the disinfection sources corresponding to the two or more detected target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces as denoted in block 204. In such cases, the parameter Modified operating time can be a disinfection source run time, a disinfection source position within the room, an orientation of a component comprising the disinfection source, a germicide discharge rate from the disinfection source and / or the energy supplied to the disinfection source. In some cases, the predetermined operating parameters for the disinfection sources corresponding to two or more detected target locations, regions, objects, and / or surfaces may be compared before executing one or more corrective actions in block 200. In particular, in In cases where the determination at block 194 or block 196 is "yes", the predetermined operating parameters for the disinfection sources can be compared and the comparison can take into account the one or more corrective actions taken in reference to the block 200.

It should be noted that while the processor-executable program instructions outlined in Figures 10 and 11 are described as part of a system that includes one or more sanitization sources, the processor-executable program instructions are not necessarily restricted. thereto. In particular, the processor executable program instructions outlined in Figures 10 and 11 may be arranged on a storage medium that is distinct from and not necessarily associated with a particular germicidal system. More specifically, the processor executable program instructions outlined in Figures 10 and 11 can be distributed as software on a commercially viable storage medium for incorporation with one or more germicidal systems. In general, the term "storage medium", as used herein, can refer to any electronic medium configured to contain one or more sets of program instructions, such as, but not limited to, a memory of read-only, random access memory, optical or magnetic disc, or magnetic tape.

Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that this invention is believed to provide ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus having one or more reflectors. In light of this description, additional modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

For example, although the above-mentioned disclosures emphasize the configuration of ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus for disinfection purposes, the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto. In particular, the ultraviolet discharge lamp apparatus described in this document can be used for any application that uses ultraviolet light. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is intended to teach those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It should be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments. Elements and materials can be substituted for those illustrated and described in this document, parts and processes can be reversed, and certain features of the invention can be used independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes can be made to the elements described in this document without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the following claims.

Claims (12)

1. An apparatus (20; 100) for disinfecting a room, comprising: a discharge lamp (22; 104) configured to emit ultraviolet light; a power circuit (26) configured to operate the discharge lamp; a support structure (24; 102) containing the power circuit and supporting the discharge lamp, wherein the discharge lamp is positioned to propagate light above an upper surface of the support structure; Y a reflector system (60) configured to redirect ultraviolet light propagating away from the support structure to a region outside the apparatus at a distance between 61 cm (2 feet) and 122 cm (4 feet) from a floor of a room in which the apparatus is located, wherein the reflector system comprises a conical reflector (62; 118) above the discharge lamp. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge lamp is supported above the support structure and is positioned longitudinally perpendicular to a plane of the support structure. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge lamp is disposed within the support structure (24) and is positioned longitudinally parallel to an upper surface of the support structure. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the reflector system comprises a plurality of through holes (68) such that some of the light propagated to the reflector system may pass through them to regions located above the reflector system. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, further comprising a housing that encloses the discharge lamp. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the shell comprises a shell top (82) that is optically transparent. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a cooling system (44) for regulating a discharge lamp temperature in the shell. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the conical reflector is a repositionable reflector and wherein the apparatus further comprises: means for automatically moving the repositionable reflector while the apparatus is in operation. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a system (70) for collecting data related to the characteristics of a room in which the apparatus is located; Y a central processing unit for retrieving the data, determining a position of the conical reflector based on the data, and sending a command according to the determined position to means for automatically moving the conical reflector. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the reflector system comprises an additional reflector to redirect ultraviolet light propagating away from the discharge lamp or cone reflector. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the additional reflector is conical. 12. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the discharge lamp is a pulsed light source.